
Glass 



L 



GopightN . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



PRACTICAL 
AUTHORSHIP. 



BY. 



/ 



JAMES KNAPP REEVE. 



A work designed to afford writers an in- 
sight into certain technical, commercial and 
financial aspects of the profession of letters as 
followed by the general writer for current 
publications. 



CINCINNATI 
THE EDITOR PUBLISHING CO 

1900. 



1 



TWO copies 
Mbrary 






Reg-is 



^\\n1 - 







copykight 
The Editor Publishing company 



second co; j y. 









CONTENTS. 



Page. 
CHAPTER I. - - - - 1 

Literary Beginnings — Preparation for Literary 
Work — The Writer's Relations with Editors 
— Short Story and Verse Writers — The 
Many Avenues for Literary Employment — 
Studying the Varied Needs of Publications 
— Why Manuscripts are Rejected — Causes 
of Failure — Editing one's own Mss. 



CHAPTER II. 19 

Literature as a Profession — Industry and Busi- 
ness Acumen Needful for Success — -Practice 
Perfects — The Mind Developed and 
Strengthened by Application — Writing for 
Practice — Study for Condensation — Models 
for Style— What Writers Should Read— 
The Matter More Important than the Man- 
ner — Hours for Work — The Writer his own 
Editor. 



CHAPTER III. - . . u 

Editors the Friends of Writers — Their Conside - 
ation for new Aspirants — Help Editors by 
Doing your Work Properly — How to Prepare 



li CONTENTS 

Page. 
and Send your Ms. — Don't Send Needless 
Letters — Type Copy is Preferred — The Nom- 
de-plume — Don't Presume on Editors. 



CHAPTER IV. - - - 59 

Tools of the Craft — Studying the Dictionary — 
List of Valuable Text Books — Keeping Clip- 
pings for Reference — Scrap Books — Note 
Books — Files of Journals — The Subject 
Book. 



CHAPTER V. - - - - 75 

A Stepping Stone — The Training Valuable for 
Future Literary Work — Newspaper English 
— The Newspaper a Daily Magazine — Divis- 
ion of Labor — Necessary Qualities for a Re- 
porter — How to Write a News Story — Val- 
uable Knowledge and Acquaintance — Fa- 
mous Correspondents — Compensation — The 
Reporter's Field — Examples of Reportorial 
Work. 



CHAPTER VI. 91 

The Short Story— Model Short Stories— The 
New Writer Welcome — Qualities of the Suc- 
cessful Short Story — Love Stories Always 
Popular — Action — Length — Sad Stories not 
Desired — "True Stories" not Good Fiction 
— Rapid or Slow Composition — Fashions in 
Fiction — Statements of Publishers' Needs 
— Timeliness in Fiction. 



CONTENTS in 

Page. 
CHAPTER VII. - - - 112 

The Literary Hack— His Wide Field— Gold- 
smith's Description — The Knowledge and 
Ability Required — How Large Incomes are 
Earned — Various Lines of Work — Draw- 
backs — Analysis of Income. 



CHAPTER VIII. - - - 127 

The Specialist — What he has Accomplished in 
Other Fields — His Place in Literature — 
What he may Achieve — The Varied Lines 
for the Specialist — The Training of the 
Specialist. 



CHAPTER IX. 136 

The Descriptive Article — Qualities Necessary 
to a Descriptive Writer — The Wide Field 
for his Work — Newspapers and Magazines 
use such Articles — Subjects Found on Every 
Hand and in Every-day Life. 



CHAPTER X. 144 

Verse-writing — Young Writers Incline toward 
Poetry — Amateurs Deluge Editors with 
Poor Verses — Offerings Greatly in excess of 
Demands — The Market Limited — The Sort 
of Work Wanted — Prices Paid. 



iv CONTENTS 

Page. 
CHAPTER XI. - - - 156 

The Trade Journal— A Profitable Field— Qual- 
ifications of an Industrial Writer — How to 
Begin with such Work — List of Industrial 
Journals that Buy Material — Correspon- 
dence for Trade Journals — Fashion and 
Commercial Work. 



CHAPTER XII. - - - 166 

The Humorist — Joke-writing as a Profession 
—An Important Branch of Literary Work 
— The Heights and Depths of Humorous 
Writing — The Publications that use Hu- 
mor — What They Want and What they Pay. 



CHAPTER XIII. - - - 177 

The Agricultural Press — Good Training Ground 
for New Writers — Branches of Work Allied 
to Agriculture — Practical Work at a Pre- 
mium — Partial List of Agricultural Jour- 
nals. 



CHAPTER XIV. - - . - 185 

Juvenile Work — Sometimes Considered as Good 
Practice — Talent Required to Produce Good 
Work — Leading Juvenile Publications — The 
Class of Material Used by Them — Other 
Fields for Juvenile Work — List of Publica- 
tions. 



CONTENTS v 

Page. 
CHAPTER XV 204 

The English Literary Market — American Writ- 
ers for English Journals — A Wide Field for 
Good Material — Obtain and Study English 
Journals — A List of Publications that Pay 
for Contributions — The Matter of Postage . 



(The following short chapters, XVI to XXVII inclusive, are ed- 
itorials written by the author for his journal at various times; 
and are given place here as they seem to carry in condensed form 
just the information that writers would seek under these heads.) 

XVI Choosing a Market 212 

XVII The Typewriter 217 

XVIII . Preparing Copy 223 

XIX The Question of Timeliness 226 

XX Sydicates 232 

XXI The Ethics of Postage 236 

XXII A Neglected Field 239 

XXIII Articles of Information 242 
XXVI The Literary Critic 245 

XXV The Value of Work 248 

XXVI The Profession of Authorship 254 

XXVII The Writer of Travel 265 
*XXVIII Song Words and Hymn Writing 271 
XXIX Don'ts For Writers 285 



"■Contributed by Prof. Will Earhart. 



BY-vs ® 

JAMES KNAPP REEVE. 



Vawder's Understudy : A study in Platonic Affec- 
tion. Cloth. 16 mo. 75c. 

U A clever book A bright, able, readable book." 

— Cincinnati ComT— Tribune. 



The Three Richard Whalens. Cloth, 16 mo. 75c- 
44 As good a story of adventure as one would care to 

read The English is excellent, and the reader 

is carried along with a swing that is commendable. 

The description of the battle with the pirates 

is an excellent piece of work, as good in its way as 
Anthony Hope's famous description of the fight for 
the King's life in the Castle at Zenda." 

—Post-Express, Rochester, N. Y. 



CHAPTER I. 



At the 
threshold. 



LITERARY BEGINNINGS PREPARATION FOR LITERARY 

WORK THE WRITER'S RELATIONS WITH EDITORS 

SHORT STORY AND VERSE WRITERS THE 

MANY AVENUES FOR LITERARY EMPLOYMENT 

STUDYING THE VARIED NEEDS OF PUBLICATIONS 

WHY MANUSCRIPTS ARE REJECTED CAUSES 

OF FAILURE EDITING ONE'S OWN MSS. 



Thorough preparation for literary 
work is most desirable; but how few, in 
determining to enter upon a literary 
career, give to this any thought or at- 
tention. The young man or woman 
just out of school, the woman of fashion, 
the weary housewife, the professional 
man or the man of business, may con- 
clude that he or she possesses undev el- 
oped literary talent, and forthwith 
prepares to enter the arena. We say 
"prepares," but rather the entry into 
the arena is without preparation of any 
sort. The tyro does not understand 
why he is not as competent to write for 
editors and for the public as Jones, who 
appears to be successful in that line, 
whom he knows well and is very certain 
is no smarter than himself. That point 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Literature 

to be studied 

as a 

profession. 



The 

literary worker 

and 

the editor. 



of view may be correct, but lie overlooks 
the fact that Jones has served an ap- 
prenticeship of many years. The be- 
ginner should ask himself if he is willing 
to do the same, and if not, would better 
resign his literary ambitions at once. 

When the time arrives that men and 
women, who wish to become writers 
will look upon the idea exactly as they 
would upon that of becoming a black- 
smith, or an artist, or an opera singer, 
there will be fewer incompetents knock- 
ing at editorial doors. When they real- 
ize that training is all important, that 
success is to be expected only after this 
training, and as the result of concen- 
trated effort and experience; that any 
other success is phenomenal and unusual; 
and that this course pursued with great 
patience, allied to some amount of in- 
herent aptitude and ability will bring 
a measure of success, then writing will 
be a less sad business all around. 

That a literary worker is upon an 
especial^ high and isolated plane of in- 
tellectual life, separate from and above 
all those whose professions have called 
them into other paths for their life 
work, is a false idea; and the earlier in a 
writer's career that his mind becomes 
freed from such an impression the better 
will he fare in his intercourse with the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Manuscripts 

are 
merchandise. 



world in general — and with editors in 
particular. 

And here at the outset we strike the 
key-note of our whole subject— The 
Editor! — for it is the editor, in general 
and in particular, who must be con- 
sidered at the very beginning by one 
embarking upon the career of a writer 
for the press. Make a study of the edi- 
tor and his needs, make it the business 
of your life to understand them, and 
you will at least have entered on the 
right road. 

That manuscript which to its author 
represents a labor of love and the in- 
spiration of genius is among editors a 
purely commercial commodity. A liter- 
ary publication, to succeed, must have: 
First, reading matter, for which it must 
pay. Second, advertisements, for which 
it is paid. Now here is an example in 
cause and effect. The circulation of the 
magazine will depend on the interest the 
public takes in the reading matter; and 
the advertising will depend upon the 
circulation so acquired. Therefore, it is 
the object of every editor to set forth a 
table of contents that will appeal to the 
largest possible constituency. If jour 
stor}^ or poem or essay will help him 
toward this end, then he wants it and 
is willing to make you due compensa- 



4 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

tion. If it will not help him toward 
this end he does not want it, at any 
price nor under any circumstances. 
There you have the whole thing in a 
nut-shell. Its value depends upon how 
much he thinks it will profit his publica- 
tion. Of course he may err in his judg- 
ment, but he is very likely to know 
much more about it than you do, or 
than can any man whose experience has 
not been acquired in an editorial chair. 
It is well to realize also that the law 
of supply and demand governs the 
manuscript market, as it does the mar- 
ket for every other article of commerce, 
whether the product of genius or of 
brawn. One publication in the United 
States is said to receive 15,000 manu- 
scripts annually. It can use at the 
The law of most two hundred and fifty. Another 
supply receives about the same number, some 

fifty manuscripts daily. Its monthly 
issues contain an average of less than 
thirty articles; hence there remains daily 
an over supply of at least forty-eight 
contributions which, regardless of merit, 
must be returned to their authors. Not 
wholly regardless of merit, either! The 
fact may be accepted that the really 
poor material is certain to go back. 
All the other has a chance. The better 
one has made his work, the better its 



and 
demand. 



Plan 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 5 

chance for being one of the two accepted 
out of the fifty. 

We have known young writers, or 
rather those who are ambitious to be- 
come writers, but are not yet quite in 
the ranks, to ask editors what they 
should write about! Editors do not 
care in the least what you shall write 
about. If you are not sufficiently im- 
pelled toward some one thing, some one 
your own" work ceirtra l thought or idea, some one branch 
of literary work to take that up and 
study it, and evolve from it something 
of consequence, you would better not 
attempt to write at all. If you have a 
distinct trend toward any line of 
thought, and can express yourself clear- 
ly thereupon in good form, then jonr 
work is indicated plainly enough. 

As a rule, letters of the sort indicated 
above, are not answered. They signify 
that the writer has no conception of 
what literary work really is, no train- 
ing, no ideas, and not very much com- 
The mon-sense. It is not the business of 

editor's an editor to select topics and give them 

business. ou ^ as a SC tt 00 i mas ter may to his class 

in composition; but it is his business to 
examine that which is offered, and select 
such as best meets the needs of his 
publication. 

The average young writer inclines first 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Fiction 

and poetry 

the lines toward 

which 
young writers 

incline. 



toward fiction. The short story has 
more devotees than all other lines of 
literary effort combined; but it is also 
worth noting that the short story fills 
a considerable space in the great major- 
ity of periodicals. Yet while avenues 
for the publication of the short story 
are practically unlimited, the offerings 
of such material are always greatly in 
excess of editors' needs. The really good 
short story is constantly in demand, 
and it may safely be asserted that the 
writer who can produce such is assured 
of a hearing; but poor short stories 
deluge every editorial office in the coun- 
try; and if you can only do the poor or 
mediocre story you would better let it 
entirely alone. 

Next to story writers in number 
stand the poets. Verses, we will not 
dignify them by the name of poetry, are 
a nuisance in the offices of all classes of 
publications. Silly, senseless, imperfect 
rhyming, sent out by would-be poets 
who do not understand the first elements 
of prosody, and who are too ignorant 
of their attempted vocation even to be 
able to qualify themselves by study, 
make up the vast bulk of these offerings. 
Far better would it be to consign all 
such effusions to the waste-basket, 
rather than squander postage and need- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 7 

lessly trouble editors. But that there is 
a demand for good verse, as for all other 
good literary material, is true, and in 
another place we shall recur again and 
at more length to this subject. 

The avenues into which the young 
writer may direct his talents, provided 
he has versatility as well as ability, are 
almost beyond number. A few of them 
The many may be indicated as follows: 
avenues for the The agricultural press offers the widest 
writer. scope for writers who understand the 

processes of skilled husbandry, of horti- 
culture, of floriculture, or who are 
familiar with any of the aspects of rural 
life. The student of natural history has 
for his field almost every journal in the 
country, for there are few editors who 
are not alert to place before their read- 
ers informing articles upon the wonders 
of the universe. One who understands 
the use of tools, who knows how ores 
are mined and smelted, how leather is 
tanned, how cotton is ginned and baled 
and pressed, who has information re- 
garding any practical and prosaic in- 
dustry of our daily life, may find an 
avenue for what he has to say upon it 
in the trade or technical journal or in 
the columns of the newspapers. The 
housewife -who understands the care of 
a window garden, the making of delicate 



8 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

conserves, the refined arts of housewifery, 
may speak upon these things through 
the various household and domestic 
journals, and in the special department 
devoted to the affairs of the household, 
which is a feature of many newspapers 
and magazines. 

The teacher, through the pen and the 
press, especially by aid of the educa- 
tional journals, can find a larger school 
than that afforded by the occupants of 
the benches in his school -room. Through 
the religious journals the preacher can 
reach a vaster congregation than ever 
assembled within sound of human 
voice. The man who rejoices in out-of- 
door life, in the strength and skill of leg 
and arm, in the use of gun and rod, may 
audience « tell of the life that he knows best, through 
the various journals devoted to the 
sportsman. Nor will the leading mag- 
azines look upon his work askance, es- 
pecially if it is accompanied by good 
material for illustration. The humor- 
ist, the man whose profession it is to 
look upon the bright side of life, who 
can evolve a quip or a joke from the 
common affairs of the day, is welcomed 
by the editors of our comic journals, and 
has a place reserved for him in many of 
our most sedate publications. The trav- 
eler who ventures far afield may, in the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 9 

pages of our best magazines, in the 
columns of the daily newspapers and 
through almost every journal that is 
published, tell of his journeyings and 
adventures in the strange nooks and 
corners of this round earth. 

The manner in which a writer may 
choose his work has been indica- 
ted. If he is sufficiently . versatile to 
work along many lines, and if suffi- 
ciently practical to work with a definite 
purpose, so that he does not fritter away 
his energies, his task of earning at 
least a livelihood from literature should, 
comparatively, be an easy one. Whether 
he will do more than this depends upon 
his force and the amount of gray matter 
What the writer in his brain. A lazy man will not accom- 

ma y , plish much in an y walk of life. As to 

accomplish \. 1 

the rest — a man may be a traveler and 

a writer of travel, and able to tell clearly 
and intelligently of that which his eyes 
have seen. If he can do so much, he will 
probably be a welcome space writer 
uxjon the newspapers and acceptable as a 
contributor to the minor magazines. 
But if he can adorn his subject with the 
charm and graces of style which made 
the work of the lamented Theodore 
Child the envy of lesser men who aspired 
to be writers of travel, he may hope both 
for fame and ample financial emolu- 
ments. 



Model 



10 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

In passing, it may be said that no 
better models of this class of work can 
be found than the articles upon the far 

travel* work.' East, written by Theodore Child and 
Edwin Lord Weeks, and published in 
Harper's Magazine within the last few 
years. 

Having chosen one's line of work, the 
next step will be to determine the publi- 
cations for which one will endeavor to 
fit this work. It is not often wise, ex- 
cept for the man of genius or already 
famous author, to write at random. 
We mean by this, to put oneself at work 
on any article, of any style or length, 
upon any topic which may come to 
mind, without first having a more or 
less definite idea of one or more publica- 
tions for which it might be especially 
available. For instance, one might be 

a definite 'aim an enthusiastic sportsman. His incli- 
nation and information might suggest 
to him that he prepare an article upon 
tarpon fishing along the Florida coast. 
But if he has no idea of publications 
which use articles of that character, he 
would better not waste his time writing 
one. Further, such an article, of 1,500 
to 2,500 words, might be acceptable to 
a newspaper. If exceptionally well done 
it might run to 4,000 or 5,000 words, 
and be acceptable to one of the illus- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 11 

tratecl magazines. But if the writer 
overlooked only this one point of length, 
and, being a close strident of the pisca- 
torial art, permitted his inclinations free 
play to the extent of embellishing his 
article with erudite information, with 
scientific dissertations upon the species, 
with a technical analysis of the various 
rods and reels and tackles to be used in 
the pursuit of this exceedingly gamy 
fish, and so elaborated his article to 
10,000 or 15,000 words, he would pro- 
bably seek in vain for a publisher. 

This indicates plainly that the writer 
should be a student not only of the top-, 
ics upon which he would write, but of 
all publications as well which use mate- 
rial of the sort that he proposes to 
furnish. Of course a writer can hardly^ 
be a subscriber to all the leading period- 
icals of the day r ; the expense of such a 
method of securing this information 
current would make rather too serious an 

publications. inroad upon his earnings. But, if pos- 
sible, he should visit frequently the pe- 
riodical room of a large library, and 
there at least glance over all the publi- 
cations upon its tables. To do this once 
or twice a y^ear would hardly suffice. 
The changes in the publishing world are 
constant,and periodicals suffer from the 
same vicissitudes to which other 



Study 



12 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Rejected 

manuscripts 

a part of the 

experience 

of ail. 



branches of trade are liable. Maga- 
zines come and go, and that which is 
to-day shall not be to-morrow. At 
least once a month the writer should 
refresh his information and memory re- 
garding the avenues for publication. 

One of the most disheartening exper- 
iences for the literary beginner is 
the return of manuscripts with the 
little slip which explains nothing 
beyond the fact that that partic- 
ular manuscript is not wanted by 
the particular editor to whom it has 
been offered. 

It requires some time for a young 
writer to understand that this is a reg- 
ular part and process of the business 
of authorship. One who always 
takes the rejection of a manuscript to 
imply that his offering is unworthy, or 
who feels that it is intended as a mark 
of discouragement, has an entirely 
wrong view of the matter. We have 
known promising writers to give up all 
attempts at literary work, only because 
they could not endure such slings and 
arrows of an untoward fortune. Some 
of these, had they persisted, would un- 
doubtedly in the course of time have ac- 
complished much good work. 

A great many attempts have been 
made to explain why editors use such 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 13 

a very noncommittal rejection form, and 
why it is almost impossible to get them 
to make any comment at all upon a re- 
jected manuscript. The usual rejection 
slip runs something like this: 

"The editor regrets that the enclosed 
manuscript, which has been kindly sub- 
mitted for use in his magazine, is not in 
line with its present needs. With thanks 
for the courtesy of permitting us the 
pleasure of its perusal, we are, 



This tells one absolutely nothing. 
Your manuscript may be wholly worth- 
less, it may be the product of ignorance, 
or of crass stupidity; or it may be the 
highly finished product of an intelligent 
brain — material in every way worthy of 
publication, even worthy of place in 
that particular journal to which it was 

\mu «„..„„,. offered. Ii it belongs in the former cat- 
Why causes . . ' 

of rejection are egory, the editor is too courteous to ex- 
not explained. plain its shortcomings. Ifhedidso,he 
might wound the feelings of one whom 
he certain^ does not care to wound, or 
might involve himself in correspondence 
or controversy. An editor who ven- 
tures upon the criticism of any manu- 
script is very apt to hear from the 
writer again, and so be placed under 
the necessity of explaining his strict- 
ures. Very few editors have the time to 
give from their duties to such personal 



14 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

correspondence. And the editor rightly 
argues it is not his business to pose as a 
critic except so far as may concern the 
wants of his own publication. He even 
may be no better judge of the needs of 
other publications than is the writer of 
the stor\^ or article. For this reason he 
sometimes ventures to close his note of 
declination with the courteous hope 
that the rnaterial offered will be found 
in line with the needs of some other 
journal. 

If the manuscript belongs in the sec- 
ond category, it is then not a question 
of merit but of availability. The ar- 
ticle or story may be thoroughly good, 
but not of the sort that is used by that 
Reasons magazine. Or it may be of the right 

for non- sort, but not timely. Or it may be of 

availability. ^ r jg^ t sort an( j timely, but something 

else, which covers the same ground, 
may already have been accepted, — some- 
thing which, in short, has pre-empted 
the place that this might have had. 
It may be some balm to the over-sen- 
sitive j^oung writer to know that most 
of those who afterward became great 
writers, passed through the same ex- 
perience of editorial declinations. Mr. 
Howells has told us how he hoped to 
be a poet, and how^ his verses came 
back. Mr. Kipling's Plain Tales were 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 15 

refused by a publishing house which 
meij well pride itself upon the few mis- 
takes of that sort made in its long and 
honorable career. The writer who can 
say honestly that he has never known 
this particular form of discouragement 
in the whole course of his career would 
certainly be an exception, and any who 
would venture upon such a statement 
would, we fear, not be generalry credi- 
ted by those who know the ins and outs 
of the literary life. 

But while we recognize the fact that 
declinations are a part of our lot, we 
are all willing to dispense with these as 
far as possible. The one thing that will 
help toward this end more than all 
Study to others — provided of course one has 

avoid failure. worthj mater ial to offer-is to learn to 
place one's work in the right directions. 
Many a heartache may be avoided if the 
young writer will give good heed to this 
suggestion. 

Incompetence and carelessness are 
two chief causes that operate toward 
the failure of writers. 

Regarding the first of these not much 
is to be said— at least not much that is 
worth sa\4ng here. For if one is illiter- 
ate or lacking in mental qualifications — 
and it sometimes happens that such an 
one will show atendencv to immortalize 



16 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Writers 

may be their 

own tutors, 



himself in print— the best thing that 
can be done is to show him gently, but 
speedily and firmly, the error of his 
ways. 

But granted that one has a fair know- 
ledge of English, at least average men- 
tal qualifications, and some ability in 
the way of expression, there still re- 
mains the great stumbling block of 
carelessness to be avoided. 

Reverting again to incompetence, we 
do not wish to be understood as imply- 
ing that this cannot to some degree be 
overcome. If one's education has been 
neglected in youth, study and applica- 
tion in later life may do much to remedy 
the evil. Writing is in itself an educa- 
tor, and one who writes much and 
writes carefully will find himself gradu- 
ally correcting errors and shortcomings. 
One who sets himself out to improve 
will meet with encouragement and will 
deserve success. 

But one who is already gifted with 
the required attributes of a writer, yet 
through carelessness fails to do the 
best possible, does not deserve much 
either of sympathy or help. Careless- 
ness in a writer is the one thing which 
editors will not look upon complacently. 
A manuscript which does not present a 
neat and legible appearance cannot com- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



17 



The duties of 
the editor 

and of 
the writer. 



mend itself. No matter how good 
the material may be, the editor will 
reason, and rightly, that this would-be 
contributor has but a slight regard for 
his chosen art. 

Carelessness in punctuation, in the 
use of capitals, in the choice of words, 
and in the formation of sentences, means 
that much labor is entailed upon the 
editor if the article is accepted and 
printed. From the manuscripts that 
continuahV drift into editorial offices it 
would seem that some writers are still 
of the opinion that it is the business of 
the editor to edit. This is not often 
the case. The province of an editor 
now-a-days is to examine authors' man- 
uscripts and to select those that will 
best meet the needs of his journal. 

The editor is usually a busy man. If 
he should select for each number of his 
journal two or three or four manuscripts 
that require careful editing throughout, 
he would find that this labor encroached 
severely on the time demanded for other 
duties. So he has come to reason that 
a writer should practice his art as per- 
fectly as possible. The latter should not 
depend upon the editor to discover his 
lapses, nor to 'amend them, but he 
should be his own editor. 

When the manuscript leaves the 



18 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

author's hand it should be ready for the 
printer. This will go a long way 
toward insuring its acceptance. It is 
simply a statement of fact to say that 
editors are constantly returning many 
manuscripts that in all probability- were 
otherwise acceptable, only because a 
glance has shown that to edit them 
properly would require more time and 
labor than they were warranted in 
giving. 



CHAPTER II. 



A look 
ahead. 



LITERATURE AS A PROFESSION INDUSTRY AND BUSI- 
NESS ACUMEN NEEEFUL FOR SUCCESS PRACTICE 

PERFECTS THE MIND DEVELOPED AND 

STRENGTHENED BY APPLICATION WRITING FOR 

PRACTICE STUDY FOR CONDENSATION MODELS 

FOR STYLE WHAT WRITERS SHOULD READ 

THE MATTER MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE MAN- 
NER HOURS FOR WORK THE WRITER HIS 

OWN EDITOR. 



It has been well said that literature 
is a good crutch but a poor staff. Freely 
translated, this means that the writer 
should not often, especially at the very 
outset of his career, hope to make liter- 
ature his sole employment, nor to secure 
a livelihood from its practice as a pro- 
fession. No matter what success one 
may meet -with at the beginning, it is 
not less true in this than in the voca- 
tions of the artist and the statuary, 
that " art is long." In this as in other 
lines of work where men must toil, and 
win their way by force and persistence, 
one must serve an apprenticeship, and 
by constant practice grow in his pro- 



20 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

fession;this practice not seldom extends 
through a lifetime before one finds that 
his chosen and loved occupation will 
afford him a satisfactory sustenance, 
and so obviate the necessity of employ- 
ing any portion of his time in other and 
less congenial pursuits. 

We have but to look over the history 
of letters in modern times to discover 
that many, even of those who have 
been classed as great among writers, 
did not live by the pen alone. We know 
A glance that Hawthorne was glad to have his 
at the friend Pierce give him a place in the Sa- 

past. i em cus -j : om house, and thus relieve him 

from the strain and burden of depend- 
ing wholly upon the magic pen that 
created the Marble Faun and the Scar- 
let Letter, to provide for the necessities 
of life in his modest household. Lamb, 
gentlest and quaintest among English 
essayists, has told humorously of the 
purgatory of that high stool at his desk 
in the India House, where the pen that 
gave to us the immortal Essays of Elia 
was employed upon the dull pages of 
heav3 r ledgers. These instances could 
be multiplied without end, and it is well 
that the young writer who fondly ima- 
gines that glory and riches are to reward 
his first successful effort, should keep 
them in mind. 



Grind steadily 

at the 

mill. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 21 

But there is another and more favor- 
able side to the picture, for it is true 
that the steady, plodding worker, es- 
pecially the one who combines business 
acumen with average literary skill and 
adaptability, may by constant applica- 
tion secure to himself an income as 
satisfactory, if not as regular, as the 
same application and ability would se- 
cure for him in other walks of life. The 
trouble is, however, that few writers 
will labor so steadily at their tasks as 
the government employee must at his 
desk, or as the business man will in his 
own counting-house. The fancy that 
one is a child of genius and is not sub- 
ject to the bounds and measures that 
compass ordinary mortals, may to some 
degree account for this. Whatever the 
reason, it would be difficult to find 
among the younger literary workers 
one who honestly obeys Eugene Field's 
famous prescription for success — "Eight 
hours steady work every day." Some 
wait for the mood, for inspiration. Then 
if the inspiration does not come they 
fancy that they have free license for a 
day or a week away from that work 
which should be pursued systematically 
and conscientiously for a certain num- 
ber of hours, six days in the week. 

The incipient genius who does not 






22 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

wish to be thus bound may point to the 
few who leap at once fully equipped in- 
to the arena of letters, and who receive 
there and then such prompt and com- 
plete and substantial recognition that 
their path is ever after one of flowery 
ease. But these are only the exceptions 
which prove the rule. The real genius, 
he who accomplishes literary success in 
The this manner, appears once in an hundred 

rarity of years — or less. Such rare exceptions do 
not lessen in any manner the force of 
the argument that ease and skill in 
composition, literary technique, concise 
and dramatic expression, the knowledge 
of what is wanted and of how to do 
the things that are wanted, in short all 
things that are worthy, are acquired 
by application. 

It matters little what especial direc- 
tion one's work may take, first efforts 
will have a certain crudeness which can- 
not be got rid of by criticism alone, or 
by the study of models, or by any aid 
outside oneself. It is not to be denied that 
criticism and advice may help, but only 
to the extent of directing the writer to- 
ward the paths in which he may best 
help himself. 

Longfellow was a poet from his 
youth. The poetic instinct w^as early 
and strongly developed in him, j^et in 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 23 

his mature years lie would have been 
glad to consign to oblivion much that 
his pen had given to the world before he 
had schooled himself b}" assiduous ap- 
plication and so perfected himself in the 
gentle art which he had chosen. 

Practice perfects! We do not question 
this in any physical matter. Xo one 
pretends to perfection in any handicraft 
until a long apprenticeship has been 
served. The painter goes to school and 
learns, by patiently following the work 
of the master, all the details of his art, 
beginning with the mixing of the pig- 
Learning ments. But the writer — ! 
the use of The young writer sometimes thinks 
words. it beneath him to pay any attention to 
such small details as the mixing of the 
pigments. Words are the writer's jDig- 
ments, and these he must study to learn 
their value, their color, their weight, 
their force, and how they may be blend- 
ed into that harmonious whole that 
makes the perfect sentence. The words 
are all before us, as the colors are 
all before the painter. But unless 
we know how to mix the pigments, 
either in literature or in art, the results 
will be ever crude and unsatisfactory. 

But the writer, you say, cannot al- 
ways have a master! True. In such 
case let him then be his own preceptor. 



24 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

Let him write and destroy and write 
again. Not always the same thing, but 
ever new ideas, new scenes, new charac- 
ters should be taken, and with the pen 
clothed with new literary form. Thus 
will be acquired facility and diversity. 
But if one may have a master, let him 
follow the method of Maupassant, who 
toiled for seven j^ears in the stud}^ of his 
accepted master, writing little stories 
that were written only to be destroyed. 
Month after month, year after year he 
submitted his work to the master, only 
to be told that it was not yet sufficient. 
ArT example But when he did come to his own, what 
from the marvelous things did he give to the 

French. world! Within the space of a few years 

three hundred short stories and 'feuille- 
tons, masterpieces of the art of telling a 
story or drawing a picture in the least 
possible space! What a reputation he 
made, and how soon it was all done 
for! for poor Guy de Maupassant, when 
his fame had but begun to bourgeon, 
died ,in a madhouse, because the brain 
had been overwrought with its marvel- 
ous creations. 

A young story writer often looks for- 
ward with positive dread, fearful that 
a time will come when all his stories 
will have been told. Sometimes he en- 
deavors to forecast the future, and is 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



25 



A 

drawback 

to 
idleness. 



perplexed that he can see no new images 
rising upon the palimpsest of his brain, 
to be set forth by him upon the written 
page. The knowledge that all the 
stories — particularly all his stories — 
have been told, comes upon him with 
appalling realnw. Such fears occur 
most often during a period when crea- 
tive work has been suspended. We be- 
lieve that all writers of fiction will agree 
that the longer the creative faculties 
have thus been in disuse the stronger 
and more real and present becomes this 
haunting fear. The writer questions if 
he will ever again be able to conjure 
those fancies which once came so readi- 
ly at his bidding. Imagination seems 
dead, and all those anw visions which 
once were so wont to delight him and 
to beckon him on toward fresh fields of 
trial and accomplishment, are now 
vanished utterly. Even those whom 
the world is apt to regard as its most 
facile writers of stories sometimes find 
themselves almost in despair because of 
such thoughts. But when once again 
they are really at their work, the images 
of their fancy, the brain-children in 
which they so delight, arise more quick 
and fast than ever. 

It may be that there was difficulty in 
getting the fountain started again; 



26 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

thought may have appeared sluggish, 
and the first attempt was perhaps form- 
less and unsatisfactory; but the next 
was better and more easily done, and 
so with the next and the next and the 
next, until ideas fairly tumbled over one 
another, so rapidly and so eagerly did 
they press for utterance. The writing 
of a single story may start a train of 
thought that will bring forth a dozen 
others as rapidly as the}^ can be put up- 
on paper. The more stories one writes, 
the more will be conjured forward from 
the recesses of the brain where they 
Something have lain hidden. 

to write It is thus that work ever develops the 

about. mind and the imagination. The writer 

who has his harness steadily on is never 
at a loss for "something to write 
about." Such a plaint as this is the 
sign-manual of the writer who has not 
yet learned the first lesson in his literary 
primer. If you must search and cudgel 
your brain for something to write up- 
on, you may be pretty certain that 
when the thing is done it will prove to 
have been not very well worth the do- 
ing. Real, earnest writers, they who 
are thoroughly in the work, find their 
difficulty to be of quite another sort; 
so many topics continually press upon 
them that their trouble is to pick and 






Writing 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 27 

choose from such an embarrassment of 
riches. 

When the thought-waves have been 
started by actual application to the 
task in hand, let them come as the 
water flows from a fountain that is 
overfull. Do not be afraid of writing 
too much, but do have a wholesome 
for practice f ear °f offering too much for publica- 
only. tion. Write all that you can; put upon 

paper every thought that is in your 
mind; then scrutinize closely, destroy 
that which does not seem to be of your 
very best, and put aside until it has 
time to ripen that which you may think 
good. 

Let there be no cessation in your 
work. It will be more difficult to get 
started again, than, having once be- 
gun, to keep right on. Do not be afraid 
of an accumulation of manuscripts. A 
writer is hardly seriously in the field un- 
less he has an half hundred manuscripts 
of various sorts ready for and seeking 
their proper avenues for publication. 

The athlete makes himself still more 
strong and stipple by constant exercise. 
The pugilist trains and hardens himself 
rigorously for the conflict. The builder 
and the machinist toil and perfect them- 
selves in the details of their trades. The 
painter and the sculptor grow continual- 



28 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

ly, by the accomplishment of each succes- 
sive task, in the power of expressing 
their ideas in form and substance. 
Among all men, it seems that the 
writer alone hopes to evolve out of his 
poor little egg-shell of a brain, at once, 
without practice, application, or train- 
ing, something that the world shall 
think of value. 

The earliest productions of a writer 

usually deserve the flames — nothing 

more, Because editors return them as 

unavailable onh^ shows that editors 

pj rs ^ have a modicum of worldly wisdom. A 

productions writer who is discouraged by such re- 

not often fusal, and who is unwilling to take it as 

valuable. a hint that he has yet somewhat to 

learn before he becomes perfect in an art 

in which the greatest of the world have 

striven, deserves only failure. 

Much reading, if done conscientiously 
and observantly, in itself constitutes 
an excellent means of training and 
education for the writer. But it must 
be kept in mind that "Reading maketh 
the full man, * * * * and writing, 
the exact man.'' So no matter how 
much one may read, the best result in 
its effect upon his own "work will not be 
obtained unless he also writes much. 
Write constantly and carefully. Write, 
even though you have no thought of 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 29 

publication, in order that yon may see 
how your thoughts and ideas look 
when expressed- in words. Get them be- 
fore you in good type copy, then read, 
revise, and amend, until each thought 
and each sentence stands clear and con- 
cise. Strive for absolute perfection in 
the choice of each word and in the con- 
struction of every phrase. 

Among the things that one may write 
for practice rather than for publication 
are: Short critiques of books read; or 
a synopsis of a paragraph or chapter of 
a book, or of an article or short story. 
&ugges ions -g^ practicing this conscientiously one 
.. may gain much toward succinctness. 

mr ^ In preparing such briefs give the con- 

tents, the vital essence, of the paragraph 
or chapter or story read, and nothing 
more. After it is written, revise and 
cut out every superfluous word until 
you have a compact, but clear and in- 
telligible, resume. In doing this it is 
well to choose for subjects the work of 
masters in the various walks of litera- 
ture. Ruskin may be chosen for style, 
Addison for clearness, Thackeray for 
sarcasm, Kipling for originality and 
strength, and Macaulay for the com- 
bination of elegance and strength. 

Bacon, who said that he would make 
all knowledge his, said also of books as 



30 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

follows: "Some books are to be tasted, 
others to be swallowed, and some few 
to be chewed and digested." Henry 
Ward Beecher said: "I read for three 
things: First; to know what the world 
has done in the last twenty -four hours 
and is about to do to-day: second; for 
the knowledge which I specially want 
to use in my work: and third; for what 
will bring my mind into a proper 

The uses mood." 
of books to For a writer all these things are im- 

writers. portant. He should read to keep pace 

with the world's work, he should read 
to increase knowledge, and he should 
read to bring his mind into that state 
where it will best be able to perform 
the work which is demanded from it. 
Beecher further said that he never read 
for style, although he thought that one 
might do so profitably. He commended 
Herbert Spencer's essay on style as the 
yqtj best one that he knew, and advised 
young people to get it, read it and 
practice it. Beecher stated that he 
read Burke for fluency, and that he ob- 
tained the sense of adjectives out of 
Barrow. 

Dr. Macaulay once remarked that 
when he was a boy at college he read 
enthusiastically, but at the foot of qyqtj 
page he stopped and obliged himself to 



V, 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 31 

give an account of what he had read on 
that page. In this manner he early 
formed the habits of attention and 
memory. 

In regard to reading current publica- 
tions Webster said: "The magazine is a 
storehouse, a granary, a cellar, a ware- 
house in which anything is stored or 
deposited." Johnson said: "These papers 
of the day have uses more adequate to 
the purposes of common life than more 
pompous and durable volumes!" And 
Lamartine said: "Before this century 
shall run out journalism will be the 
whole press. Mankind will write their 
About books day by day, hour by hour, page 

reading by page." 

current These opinions are too true and too 

important to be passed by thoughtless- 
ly. The magazine and the newspaper 
of to-day have their message for the 
writer, and may as rightly exert their 
influence upon his formative period, as 
the accepted classic. 

The majority of readers prefer writ- 
ings in which the language is simple. It 
is a distinct literary achievement to 
couch strong, expressive thoughts in 
simple language and yet make them 
effective. 

Professor Bancroft says: "To attain 
clearness a writer must have definite 



A few 

words about 

style. 



32 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

thoughts and then express his thoughts 
in language that his readers may un- 
derstand as he understands it. The 
words of the wise are few and well 
chosen. Scan every sentence, then con- 
dense your sentence into clauses, your 
clauses into phrases, your phrases into 
w^ords; and if you really do not need 
the words blot them out." 

Ruskin says: "When I was young if 
I thought anybody's house was on fire 
I said: 'Sir, the abode in which you 
probably passed the delightful years of 
your youth is in a state of inflamma- 
tion,' and people called me a good writer 
then; now they say I cannot write at 
all because I say: 'Sir, your house is on 
fire.'" 

Young writers often request those 
who have won their spurs in literature 
to recommend certain books, or courses 
of reading and study, that may be pur- 
sued as an aid to literary style and ease 
of expression. In reply the novice is 
usually told to read u the best authors." 

The very wealth of material included 
in this comprehensive answer makes it 
difficult to know where to begin. The 
one who advises along such lines is en- 
tirely safe, for no harm can result. The 
more one reads the best books, and the 
work of the great masters of literature, 



The 
company 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 33 

the better will he be equipped for any 
effort toward which he may turn his 
hand; not only for the literary trade, 
but he will be a fuller and richer and 
more competent man for every detail of 
life. 

The company of the great thinkers is 
in itself a liberal education; but no 
writer has ever been made through their 
study alone. If a young writer should 
take the work of any single one of the 
masters, and study it with a view to 
the element of style, he would run the 
of the great very serious risk of becoming a mere 
thinkers. imitator. Style, as applied to litera- 

ture, is an intangible but not imper- 
ceptible something. Each man must 
have it for himself. It must be innate, 
not acquired. It cannot be taught nor 
conveyed. True, it may be enriched, 
improved, made more perfect by con- 
stant and careful application; but it 
must be original or it is of no value. 

Swift long ago said that proper 
words in proper places make the true 
definition of st}de. This explanation may 
be broadened by adding that style is 
such use of language in the expression 
of thought as exhibits the spirit and 
faculty of an artist. Swift's definition 
might apply most properly to the 
simple style which is direct and unorna- 



34 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Matters 

to be 

considered. 



merited. The wider one that we have 
given would find a most complete 
exemplar in the work of Ruskin. 

The study of the masters of style and 
expression may perhaps be most valu- 
able by observing closely that which 
they do not do, rather than the converse. 
The careful reader may readily ascertain 
in this manner that the style of a great 
work consists in the avoidance of 
hyperbole, needless adjectives, redun- 
dant phrases, repetition, tautology. 
Clearness and meaning are best arrived 
at without these. One element of style 
consists in the choice of just the one 
right word where various synonyms 
would serve more or less perfectly the 
aim of the writer. 

But style of expression is not the only 
thing to be considered. Unity and 
sequence in composition are matters 
which the young writer often does not 
understand — nor does he understand 
the necessity of understanding them. 
There is a proper point at which to be- 
gin an article or story. There is a pro- 
per sequence of events to follow, and 
there is a proper place at which to end. 
In reading and study observe these 
things, and look upon that which is 
written, in order to determine the man- 
ner in which it is written — to decide 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 35 

for yourself whether this be good or 
bad. 

Yes, the advice may safety be given to 
read the great masters. But read not 
only those who are great in style, but 
those as well who are great in ideas' 
and invention and the construction of 
plot. For first of all a writer must 
Study have ideas, and he must then have con- 

methods as well struction, before his need of style will 
as style. come into play. Do not make the mis- 

take of putting the last requisite first. 
We all have known writers who could 
construct clean and well-rounded 
sentences, but who had absolutely 
nothing to say; to advocate for such 
the studjr of style, would beholding out 
to them an ignis fatuus. 

Among models of construction, Hugo 
and Thackeray stand in the first rank; 
for models of stymie, Ruskin and Kings- 
ley; yet there are an hundred others 
who may be read with profit by the 
young writer. The writer who posses- 
ses a style of his own will perhaps 
never be harmed by reading slipshod 
work, because he will immediately feel 
repulsed by it, and will endeavor to 
make his own method as great a re- 
move from it as possible; but the read- 
ing of good work understandingly will 
have a tendency constantly to perfect 
and broaden him. 



A word 



36 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

Much is said against the current 
publications of the day, yet they may 
still be considered most excellent guides 
for the young writer. The matter 
which they contain may not always be 
good, yet it is almost always carefully 
for our current edited. While the style may not al- 
publications. ways appeal to the purists, yet it is 
modern; it is what our editors and 
publishers to-day are accepting; and 
the editors and publishers are the 
critics, nay, the court of last resort, 
whom we must have before our mind's 
eye in our work if we care to reach the 
eye and ear of the public. 

If your literary work is to be any- 
thing more than play, the following of 
a whim, or the employment of idle 
moments, have as regular hours for it 
as you would for any other serious un- 
dertaking which was to be xoursued 
from day to day. 

Preferably the morning hours should 
be given to literary composition. It is 
then that the brain is clearest, the mind 
most active, and the physical qualities 
most capable of endurance. The fact 
should not be lost sight of that health 
and strength — a sound body housing a 
sound mind — are wonderful factors in 
literary success. 

There are some writers so constituted 



Acquire 
the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 37 

that they can rise superior to circum- 
stances and work whenever and wher- 
ever the opportunity offers. Others 
claim that their best work is done at 
night, after the activities of the day are 
finished. But probably anyone who 
will give the matter an unprejudiced 
trial will admit that no other hours or 
methods are so favorable as to 
habitually employ the morning for 
literary composition. 

"Nail yourself to a chair and bend to 
work! Go to work, my brother, go to 
work habit. work! Stick to your work and you 
will succeed!" These were the words of 
Joel Chandler Harris to a young man 
with literary ambitions. The young 
man said that he would put this advice 
into practice, so he went away at once 
and purchased a handsomely carved 
desk, a revolving chair and a ream of 
paper; then he "nailed himself to the 
chair and bent to the work," for two 
weeks. At the end of that time he 
said: "Well I've been there two weeks 
but the work won't come; it's no go, I 
tell you. Do you know anybody who 
wants to buy a roller top desk and a 
revolving chair?" 

That is the method of some would-be 
young writers. They make elaborate 
preparations for the work which it is not 



38 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



in them to do. Two weeks of effort to- 
ward the accomplishment of a life task! 

Mr. Kipling wrote: "No man's ad- 
vice is the least benefit in our business, 
and I am a very busy man, Keep on 
trying until jovl either fail or succeed." 

The eminent scholar and church his- 
Comments torian, Dr. Philip Schaff, used to say of 
of the himself: "I have not genius; lam sim- 

masters. ply a hard worker, and what I am I 

owe to God and to constant applica- 
tion, keeping my wits about me." 

Samuel Smiles said: "Genius without 
work is certainly a dumb orator; and it 
is unquestionably true that the men of 
the highest genius have invariably been 
found to be amongst the most plodding, 
hard working, and intent men, — their 
chief characteristic apparently consist- 
ing simply in their power of laboring 
more intensely and effectively than 
others." 

William Dean Howells said recently 
that hard work in literature made what 
the world calls genius — with a brain of 
course to begin with. 

The method of giving utterance to our 
thought is always a matter for serious 
consideration, a matter of great impor- 
tance, but not of the first importance. 
If this were true, it would resolve itself 
into an admission that manner is more 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 39 

than matter. But before the necessity 
for elegance and clearness of expression, 
there must be substance. There must 
be a thought to express before thought 
can properly be applied to the manner 
of expression. So, in counseling a begin- 
ner in literature, the one who would 
lay first and greatest stress upon 
Be certain "the manner of expression would put him 
that you have upon the wrong road. Attend first and 
something chiefly to the matter. Be very certain 
to say. that you have something to write, 

something that is worthy of all the 
thought and care that you can give it 
in your effort to provide the proper 
form of expression. Dress has its proper 
place in the adornment of literature, as 
in the adornment of the individual. But 
to make dress a matter of more impor- 
tance than the mind and soul of the 
wearer is to put the infinitely lesser be- 
fore the infinitely greater. 

To a large extent the style is the man. 
Individuality there must be in anyone 
who has am-thing to say that is w or thy 
of being said. So having the thought, 
the brain and the mental powers which 
must exist for original work of any 
force, there will also be a certain indi- 
viduality of style in which to clothe the 
thought. Or if there is not this style, 
or if at the first it be rugged and un- 



40 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

formed, practice in the art of expressing 
the thought will in time bring about 
the form of expression that is suited 
best of all to the matter which you have 
to commtmicate. 

Literature is hardly a thing to be 
studied by itself. The young writer 
may not go far wrong if he begins to 
study for his life work by studying life 
Real life itself. All true literature must be 

th o e f | . f0Undati0n founded upon the life that exists or has 
existed. Gain first a knowledge of this 
in one or many of its varied phases, and 
you have somewhat upon which to 
build. To take a modern instance, Mr. 
Kipling's wonderful success has been 
based upon his knowledge of life and 
men. This is the very foundation rock 
of his great reputation. He never errs 
in truly depicting the people whom he 
attempts to portray. Having the abil- 
ity to do this, the style really matters 
little. In Mr. Kipling's case it has often 
been rough and unformed. Yet with 
him, as with Carlisle, the rough, inher- 
ent style of the man was just that best 
adapted to the matter which he had to 
set forth. 

And a writer's style will grow with 
his growth. What matter whether it is 
this or that at the beginning, if only it 
will form in the crucible of time and use, 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 41 

even as the rough diamond forms tinder 
the skillful touch of the lapidary. It is 
not expected that a writer will stand 
still at the point at which he has begun. 
If this were so there would be little 
hope in our literature. What he can do 
at the beginning is of little moment, 
only so it shows that he has that in 
him which may serve as a foundation 
upon which to work, and which gives 
promise of being worthy the effort re- 
quired to bring it to a worthy develop- 
ment. 

The writer for current publications 
must be constantly a student of style in 
a certain somewhat narrow and limited 
sense. The style which he must partic- 
ularly display, in order to obtain ready 
acceptance for his work, is that style 
which is the vogue of the day and of 
the publications to which he would con- 
tribute. This may be considered as 
putting a low estimate and improper 
construction upon the quality of style, 
as that is meant in reference to litera- 
ture in its largest aspects. But we are 
considering literature now somewhat in 
its commercial aspect, and are treating 
of the things which the writer must do 
in order to pave the way for success in 
an especial line. He must observe con- 
tinually the character of the work used, 



day. 



42 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

and regard that as a criterion of the 
character of the work desired. 

"Fine wri ting" is one of the greatest 
obstacles in the way of acquiring style. 
The day of fine writing for itself has 
passed. Neither editors nor publishers 
longer look favorably upon the writer 
fine writing" who ornately builds up phrase upon 
is not phrase and paragraph upon paragraph 

popular. without arriving rapidly toward a defi- 

nite end. It is upon the work of such 
writers that the editorial blue pencil is 
used without mercy. 

It is not always nor even often pleas- 
ant to have one's manuscript returned 
as unacceptable, but occasionally such 
returns are of the very greatest value to 
the writer, especially- if he can look be- 
tween the lines of the editor's polite and 
non-committal refusal and discover 
there that the reason for the return has 
been an excess of this fine writing, up on 
which he lavished such great pains. 
The story which contains one good 
scene, two or three characters acting in 
a circumscribed environment, and a dra- 
matic climax, has perhaps been spread 
through 6,000 or 8,000 words. If, 
when the story has been returned a 
dozen times and the fact has begun to 
dawn upon the writer that there must 
be something radically wrong with it, 
he would himself edit the manuscript 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 43 

carefully, mercilessly cutting out the 
flights of fancy, the super-graceful touch- 
es, the fine phrasing that seems to him 
so very fine, and in reducing it one-half 
leave the story itself untouched — but 
told now with infinitely more vigor and 
action — he would doubtless find it more 
acceptable to editors and the reading 
public and more profitable to himself 
than it ever could have been when told 
at its previous and needless entire 
length. 

The employment of useless adjectives 
and of synonymous words in descrip- 
tion are two cardinal sins of voting: 
waiters, and ones that most frequently 
call for the use of the blue pencil. The 
introduction of matter that is not rel- 
evant, and with many the tendency to 
"preach," are other common faults 
which often mar the otherwise good 
work of young writers. 

In editing or revising one's own work, 
it should always be kept in mind that a 
word which is not necessary, which will 
not help forward the story, or which 
will not throw added light upon the 
scene, should be ruthlessly given over 
to the blue pencil. Take that story 
which you have just completed and pol- 
ish it by this rule, and after you have 
done this, be honest with yourself, and 
see if it is not better than it was before. 



CHAPTER III. 



EDITORS THE FRIENDS OF WRITERS THEIR CONSID- 
ERATION FOR NEW ASPIRANTS HELP EDITORS 

BY DOING YOUR WORK PROPERLY HOW TO PRE- 
PARE AND SEND YOUR MS. DON'T SEND NEED- 
LESS LETTERS TYPE COPY IS PREFERRED THE 

NOM-DE-PLUME DON'T PRESUME ON EDITORS. 



We have known certain writers who 
were quite confident that all editors 
were in league against them and bound 
to prevent them having any opportu- 
nity to prove their quality to the public. 
P t This question might be argued at 

abuse the considerable length, but it is not worth 
editors. while. Editors are in need of writers 

just as much as writers are in need of 
editors. The relations between them 
should be, and usually are, most friend- 
ly. Perhaps if either could do without 
the other, it would be the writers rather 
than the editors. The writer can go to 
sawing w^ood for a living, (or if of the 
gentler sex, to baking bread, or sewing 
buttons on shirts) and so manage to 
keep soul and bodj^ together without 
the editor's assistance. But without 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



45 



A chance 

for all new 

writers. 



the writer's aid the editor cannot fill 
the pages of his newspaper or the col- 
umns of his magazine, and as the ma- 
jority of people are prejudiced against 
reading old things over and over, he 
would soon have to give up the fight. 

The very worst thing that can hap- 
pen to a j^oung writer is to gain the 
impression that editors do not want 
him to succeed. The truth of this is 
directly to the contrar}^. If he has a 
spark of genius or talent ihej are glad 
to assist him in any maner that they 
may be able to toward its development. 
They know very well that life is short 
and that the public is fickle. The fa- 
vorite writer of to-day ma} r be in his 
grave to-morrow, or if still out of it, the 
public may conclude that they have had 
enough of him and cry for someone new. 
And if one editor cannot supply this de- 
mand, another may, and the one who 
fails must go to the wall. The writer 
of this can himself testify to many 
words of encouragement and kindly 
acts of assistance given him by editors 
of various publications, when he first 
began to send out his manuscripts for 
acceptance. A word of criticism here, 
of suggestion there, enabled him at 
times to better his work, to send it into 
the right channels, or to turn his atten- 



46 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

tion to certain tilings that editors 
wanted done and that he was able to 
do for them. 

The ignorant, incompetent and care- 
less cannot expect great consideration, 
for it is apparent at a glance that they 
will never accomplish anything, and 
editors would not be justified in encour- 
aging such to continue along a path 
where they were certain to meet w4th 
failure. 

Having made up your mind that the 
editor is well disposed toward you, it 
A chapter then becomes your duty to do all that 
of hints for be- you can to make his work easy, and to 
ginners, further him in his laudable intentions 

toward you. That you may help to- 
ward such an end, this chapter will be a 
miscellany of hints of what writers 
should and should not do in their inter- 
course with editors. 

Never roll your manuscript. Send it 
flat, if a bulky manuscript; or folded, if 
a small one. Rolled manuscripts are a 
nuisance in any office, and many editors 
feel justified in throwing such into the 
waste-paper basket without opening 
them. If an editor tries to read a rolled 
manuscript, the sheets curl up and run 
all over his desk, and sometimes all over 
the office. If it has to be returned to 
the author, it requires five or ten min- 



Make ready 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 47 

trtes to get it into compact shape and 
securely wrapped and pasted. All edi- 
tors, since the beginning of time, have 
warned contributors against the prac- 
tice of rolling manuscripts, yet there are 
some who still persist in doing this. 
Such deserve absolutely no considera- 
tion from editors. 

In sending any manuscript that is to 
be returned by mail, enclose with it an 
envelope of proper size and shape, ad- 
dressed and fully stamped. Until writers 
for "the return throughout the world unite upon the 
of your Ms. use of paper cut to a certain size, and 
agree to fold their manuscripts in a 
certain manner, editors can hardfy be 
expected to keep on hand a sufficient 
variety of envelopes to meet all require- 
ments. So unless you send the proper 
envelope, do not growl if your manu- 
script is refolded and creased and soiled, 
in a laudable endeavor to put it up 
securely for the return trip in such 
wrapper as may be at hand. 

Take at least ordinary precaution to 
guard against the loss of } r our manu- 
script. Write your name and address 
plainly upon the envelope, with a return 
request to the postmaster. Newspapers, 
magazines and publishing firms may 
fail, or they may change their address. 
The above precaution will insure the 



48 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

return of } r our manuscript and save you 
loss of time, worry, correspondence, and 
often the loss of the manuscript itself. 

Write your name and address in the 
upper left hand corner of the first page 
of your manuscript. Then an editor is 
not put to the trouble of keeping your 
letter and your manuscript together, 
but has before him, in compact form, 
all the information that he needs. 

Never send your manuscript under 
Making one enclosure and letter of notification 

the editor's under another. If you do, the editor is 
work easy. ^ u ^ ^. Q -j-j ie aim0 yance and trouble of 
having to match up the two, and pos- 
sibly of keeping one upon his desk until 
a delayed mail brings in the other. 

It is a good plan to indicate upon the 
first page the number of words con- 
tained in your manuscript. It is not 
necessar\^ to make an exact count of all 
your words, but count the words in 
several lines and then multiply their 
average by the total number of lines. 
This will assist an editor to determine 
just how much space in his publication 
3^ our story or article will require if ac- 
cepted; and length — adaptabilit}' to the 
requirements of a certain space — is often 
an important factor toward acceptance. 

Don't send your manuscript to-day, 
and write an impatient note day after 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 49 

to-morrow to know if it will be accep- 
ted. Give the editor time. He may 
have an hundred manuscripts upon his 
. desk when yours arrives, and these are 
entitled to prior consideration. In the 
largest and best regulated editorial of- 
fices, a manuscript requires about three 
or four weeks to run the gauntlet of 

The evils proper consideration. If you do not 

of impatience. -, r -, . -, . , t 

near from your work within a month, 

send a polite note of inquiry. But im- 
patience in this respect never pays. 
Editors have sent home many a story 
that might have been accepted, rather 
than go to the trouble of stating that 
it was still under consideration, and 
the reasons which might lead to its 
final acceptance or rejection. And man y 
a story has been recalled by too impa- 
tient authors just as the editor has 
come to a favorable decision regarding- 
it. 

Never ask an editor to examine a 
manuscript upon which you have not 
exhausted the final effort. Do not ex- 
pect him to waste his time reading a 
manuscript that you know is not as 
good as you can make it. Bear in mind 
that he has plenty of others upon his 
desk, the product of past masters in the 
art of literature, who have left nothing 
undone that their knowledge of the 



of type copy. 



50 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

craft can suggest to make the work 
perfect. It is easier to see faults in the 
work of others than in our own. So if 
a mote is perceptible to yourself, do not 
doubt that the editor will find a beam. 
If 3^ou can see a slight blemish, he will 
discover a larger one. So consider that 
the time y^ou put upon revision, copying, 
correcting and perfecting your work, is 
better spent than any other. 

Offer nothing but type copy for edi- 
torial inspection. Type copy is more 
easily 1 - read than even the best pen 
Advantages script. It presents the thought in clearer 
form, so that it may be grasped at a 
glance. An editor does not expect to 
read a manuscript from the first word 
to the last in order to determine if it be 
acceptable. It is his custom to glance 
at the beginning, then at the end, and 
then take a dip into the middle. If these 
tastes whet his appetite for more, he or 
an assistant will later read it carefully, 
and at leisure. From the type copy 
these samples may be quickly taken, 
and the editor may tell without any 
waste of time whether the work is good 
enough to warrant father considera- 
tion. So accustomed are all editors 
now-a-days to type copy, that pen script 
stands but a poor chance for accep- 
tance in competition with it. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 51 

For ordinary mamuscripts to be sent 
by mail the best size of paper to use is 
a sheet 8V2 by 11 inches. This should 
Manuscript be a clear white, firm in texture, and 
paper. no -j- -j- 00 neav y. A linen paper is to be 

preferred. Hea\w paper makes a need- 
less^ heavy postage account. Paper 
that is very light and thin is difficult to 
handle and does not stand the wear 
and tear of many journe\^s. 

Upon a sheet of the size named a mar- 
gin of one inch should be reserved on 
the left side, and an equal space at the 
top and bottom. This is for the use of 
the editor in case he finds it necessary" 
to "edit" the manuscript before sending 
it to the printer. A typewritten manu- 
script should be double spaced. Such 
an one is much easier to read and to 
edit than single spaced copy. 

Underscore all foreign words. But 
prior to this may properly come the 
suggestion to use as few foreign words 
as possible. The editor of one of the 
Write leading newspapers of the country once 

plain English. wrote to a contributor that he would 
accept nothing in which foreign phrases 
or words were introduced, if there was 
an English equivalent by which the 
meaning could be made plain. Never 
introduce such words and phrases for 
effect, nor to show vour learninof. 



52 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

Writers have been known to send a 
note about as follows with a manu- 
script submitted for acceptance: 

u DeaeSie: 

tk If you cannot use the enclosed manu- 
script, please throw it in the waste basket." 

Now this is not only bad taste but 
bad policy. If you do not value 3^ our 
Set a proper own work sufficiently to desire it re- 
value on your turned, in case it should not meet the 
wor k- needs of a certain publication, and if 

you do not estimate its money value as 
being as great as that of the postage 
stamps that would be required for its 
return, do not think an editor will care 
sufficient^ to print it — much less pay 
for it. Manuscripts submitted in such 
manner will never see the light of publi- 
cation through the columns of any rep- 
utable journal. In such cases editors 
will be apt to consider your work at 
your own valuation, and do with it as 
you have suggested. 

A nom-de-plume is an affectation and 
The is not calculated to impress an editor 

nom-de-plume. favorably. There is no more reason 
why a writer should sign a fictitious 
name to his work, than for a painter to 
do so with his canvases or for John 
Smith to |Dut the name of Roderick Ran- 
dom over the store where he sells pork 
and molasses. And why should a ficti- 
tious name be used? If your work is 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 53 

good you certainty desire for it all the 
credit you can possibty gain; and if it is 
bad, stand up manfully and take the 
blame and resolve that yon will do bet- 
ter and merit less criticism in the future. 
Don't try to get behind a cloak. 

There was a time when the nom-de- 
plume was in favor, but now-a-daj^s it 
has rather come to be regarded as the 
sign-manual of the amateur, and of a 
very amateurish amateur at that. One 
of the principal objections that an edi- 
tor has to it is that it gives him two 
names to keep track of, one to use in 
his correspondence and accounts, the 
other in his proof sheets. And as we 
have elsewhere remarked, editors are 
not searching for contributors who 
make them needless trouble. 

Young writers are of course always 
anxious to see their work in print, and 
sometimes trouble editors unreasonably 
Don't after they- have received a notification 

hurry the Q f acceptance, b} r asking for information 
as to the exact date of publication. Nine 
times out often an editor cannot tell, 
until just about the time for the mag- 
azine to go to press, exactly what will 
go in and what will be left out. Many 
things are to be considered in making 
tip each number. Among them,season- 
ableness, variety, — story, descriptive ar- 



54 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

tide, essay, poem, etc., — and perhaps 
more than all else, length. Sometimes 
an article or story may be in type and 
the proofs read with the intention of us- 
ing in a certain number, }^et because just 
the right space is not to be had it may 
be crowded out month after month. 

Leave as little "editing" for the editor 
The editor a s you can. Study closely the pages of 
will not do your well e dited magazines. Observe their 
methods of punctuation, learn the art 
of correct paragraphing, understand the 
correct use of quotation marks, and 
make use of the knowledge thus ac- 
quired. If you do not attend to these 
matters the editor must — if he accepts 
your manuscript — before it can go to 
the composing room. Do not leave this 
work for the editor because you think 
he knows best how it should be done. 
Editors are busy men, and we have 
known manuscripts that w T ere other- 
wise acceptable to be returned solely on 
this account. The editor will not do 
the work that the writer should do — es- 
pecially if he has ready to his hand an- 
other manuscript that is properly 
finished. 

Never presume upon the kindliness 

and courtesy of editors. Never weary 
intrude person- . 1 -. . -, -^ 

, ff . them by excessive correspondence. Do 

a I affairs. . .., rr . 

not intrude your family anairs upon 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 55 

them, nor beg them to accept an article 
because you need the money. A news- 
paper or a magazine is not an eleemosy- 
nary institution. Its editor is looking 
for the very best things that he can get, 
and it is his duty to consider nothing 
except the interest of his magazine and 
its readers. 

Do not send to an editor a number of 
manuscripts at one time. This is apt 
to give the impression that you have a 
lot of unsalable stock and that you 
are endeavoringto unload on him. Even 

Separate if you are satisfied there may be some- 
the wheat from thing good among them, you have no 

the chaff. right to throw upon a busy- man the 
burden of reading a lot of material that 
he cannot possibly want, upon the 
chance of finding one thing that will 
meet his needs. He will feel that you 
should have separated the wheat from 
the chaff yourself. The majority of ed- 
itors are so constituted that when they 
feel themselves imposed upon in this 
way they will bundle up the entire con- 
signment and send it back without even 
attempting to discover if there be one 
good thing among it all. 

Whatever happens, keep on good 
terms with the editors. Even if your 
manuscript is sent back all "tattered 
and torn" after it has been held six 



Editors 

consider but 

one thing. 



56 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

months"for examination, "take the mat- 
ter philosophically. Reason to yourself 
Be that the editor wanted to use it, but 

philosophical. found that he realty could not and that 
some careless office boy, and not him- 
self, is responsible for its dilapidated ap- 
pearance. 

Do not on any account expect especial 
consideration. If you are a woman, do 
not presume upon your sex. If you are 
young, strive with all your might and 
main not to let the editor guess it. If 
you are ill, go to the doctor, but don't 
write the editor that your manuscript 
is not just as good as you would have 
made it if you had been well. Remem- 
ber that the personality of the writer is 
a matter of absolutely no importance 
to the majority of editors. What is 
w anted is printable, available copy that 
does not require too much editing — 
news, fresh articles, good stories. 

We have known kindly editors to re- 
turn stories with the suggestion that 
they should be cut. When the writer 
receives such a suggestion from one who 
has practical knowledge regarding the 
points which help to make or mar the 
story, he will be wise to observe it, and 
such observation will be to his own 
profit . Editors will not do this cutting 
down, no matter how good the story 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 57 

may be. If the writer does not learn 
to prepare his material properly there 
will be slight chance for its acceptance. 
Experienced writers have learned to do 
Avoid away with the redundant and the super- 

redundancy, fluous: to use but one word, where one 
will serve, rather than three; to use no 
superlatives, no unnecessary description, 
no useless talk about characters, but to 
have them speak for themselves. There 
is no more serious error in story writing 
than to talk about one's characters, in- 
stead of having them tell and act their 
own story upon the page and before 
the reader's eye. Excess of narrative 
and description will kill any stor\ r . 

Among the many helpful criticisms 
which kindly editors have thrown out 
Kindly hints. for the help of young writers we have 
come across the following: One wrote 
to a contributor who had submitted a 
short story for the children's page of a 
weekly paper: ' k This story, though 
written about a boy, is not written for 
a boy." What could have been more 
suggestive than this, showing to the 
writer at once that the manner was not 
in keeping with the matter? 

In regard to a story in which the 
author had at the beginning wandered 
rather aimlessly, and had gone too far 
about in the effort to arrive at the 



58 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

''story," the editor wrote: "It is inter- 
esting, but I kept waiting to find out 
what it was all for. Did he do enough to 
Travel V&J f° r coming so far?" 

straight to your Another wrote that a description of a 
certain industry was too much diluted 
by the dialogue. It was spoiled by 
having too much matter not pertinent 
to the subject. 



CHAPTER IV. 



TOOLS OF THE CRAFT STUDYING THE DICTIONARY 

LIST OF VALUABLE TEXT BOOKS KEEPING CLIP- 
PINGS FOR REFERENCE SCRAP BOOKS NOTE 

BOOKS FILES OF JOURNALS THE SUBJECT 

BOOK. 



Textbooks are the writers' tools. One 
Text books. cannot be too well equipped with the 
implements of his craft. 

The general contributor to the press, 
the man who makes writing the busi- 
ness of his life, and follows all its lead- 
ings with the same assiduity with which 
the business man follows the leadings 
of trade and commercial life, must not 
overlook such aids. 

Let us begin at the beginning. A dic- 
tionary is all important. No matter 
how much you may pride yourself upon 
your ability to spell correctly, you will 
come upon words that will make you 
hesitate. Have at your hand a diction- 
ary that is a standard — Webster's In- 
ternational is probably the best for 
American writers, — and consult it when 
even the shadow of a suspicion that 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



The 

value of the 

dictionary. 



treasury of 
wealth. 



Varied 

uses for the 

dictionary. 



yon may not be absolutely right crosses 
your mind. 

There is an ancient joke about an old 
lady who replied to the question; " Have 
you ever read the dictionary?" with, 
"Yes, but I did not find much connec- 
tion in the story." , 

There is not very much connection in 
the story, to be sure; yet one who 
will read the dictionar} 7 in the 
right way will find it a treasury of 
storied wealth. One of the most thor- 
oughly educated men whom it was ever 
the writer's privilege to know would 
never read without an open dictionary 
at his hand. Whether the reading was 
for a few unoccupied moments, or the 
serious work of the day, the dictionary 
was ready for constant consultation. 
He was a man whose name was not 
widely known to the public, yet at his 
death the New York Tribune said: "One 
of our most learned men has gone." 
Without doubt his great learning was 
in part due to this steadfast habit of 
using the dictionary as his constant 
companion. 

There are men who find profit by 
making the dictionary their companion 
of every spare moment. One may not 
care to read it through from the first 
page to the last, but by turning its 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 61 

leaves one will constantly come tip on 
items of information that are worth 
adding to the sum total of one's know- 
lege. Xot merely is the dictionary of 
worth to aid in finding the definition of 
words or to verify doubtful spelling, 
but often the writer finds that it helps 
him to the choice of words, to select 
the one which has just the right shade 
of meaning, or the synonym which is 
wanted to enable him to avoid repeti- 
tion. Familiar ity with the dictionary 
helps one vastly to find just what is 
wanted, without wasting time in the 
search. 

The enlargement of his vocabulary is 
a thing toward which the writer should 
alvays work. He should not search 
for uncommon and obscure words, but 
should endeavor to have at his corn- 
Enlarge mand always the largest assortment of 
your vocabu- plain, simple Saxon words, which will 
' ar y' enable him to convey the strongest im- 
pressions in the briefest and simplest 
manner. All the words that one can 
need or use are within the covers of this 
one book of which we are speaking, and 
it is not beyond the x^ower of any mod- 
erately endowed person to secure an 
intimate working knowlege of the ma- 
jority of them. 

Should you not possess a practical 



62 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

and thorough knowledge of grammati- 
cal rules, acquire it. An understanding 
of any English grammar from cover to 
cover is a beginning. Supplement this 
with such a work as Reed & Kellogg's 
Language Lessons; follow this with 
Rhetoric — any late author. For a kno w- 
lege of choice of words have Ayer's 
Verbalist at hand. For synonyms there 
is nothing to compare with Roget's 
Thesaurus. 

Use your dictionary not only for or- 
thography but for definitions. Know 
the precise meaning of every word that 
you use. Have a standard work on 
Prosody, and upon St\de. Buy as ma- 
ny volumes of the subjoined list as your 
purse will permit; and you may be rea- 
sonably certain that the more of them 
you possess, the weightier will your 
|3urse be in the end. 

500 Places to Sell Mss. - - - $1.00 

- Manuscript Record - 1.00 

Some Crabb's English Synonyms - - 1.25 

Everybody's Writing Desk Book - - 1.00 

Soule's English Synonyms - - 2.25 

Elements of Composition & Rhetoric (Waddy) 1.15 

The Rhymester: or, The Rules of Rhyme - 1 00 

Walker's Rhyming Dictionary - - 1.50 

Outlines of Rhetoric (Genung) - - 1.15 

How to Write Clearly (Abbott) - - .60 
A Practical Course in English Composition 

(Newcomer) - - - - - .90 

A Treatise on English Punctuation (Wilson) 1.15 
Punctuation and Other Typographical Matters 

(Bigelow) ----- .50 



valuable books. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



63 



How some 

articles are 

prepared. 



_ Errors in the Use of English (Hodson) - 1.50 

-Words and their Uses (White) - - 2.00 

Familiar Quotations (Bar tie t) - - - 3.00 

" Roget's Thesaurus - 2.00 

The Encyclopedia Brittanica and Ap- 
pleton's American Encyclopedia are 
invaluable reference books for the hack 
writer or miscellaneous contributor. By 
the aid of one or both of these, one may 
at odd times "work up" articles which, 
though perhaps nothing more than "pot- 
boilers," are not to be despised for the 
addition they make to the annual 
income. Historical and biographical ar- 
ticles, antiquarian articles and travel 
articles are not infrequently worked 
up by experts in this manner, with no 
other aids than the above, and without 
stirring beyond the walls of their study. 
Other valuable reference books for 
work of this sort are Brand's Popular 
Antiquities; Hone's Every Day Book, 
and Chambers' Book of Holidaj^s. The 
latter will be found especially useful in 
preparing articles which have to do 
with our various holidays, such as 
Christmas, Easter, etc. 

Clippings and a systematic method 
of keeping same where they can be eas- 
ily consulted when wanted, should be 
part of the furnishing of every literary 
worker's study, and rank with note- 
books in importance. 



64 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Clippings 
and their ar- 
rangement. 



The 
abused scrap- 
book. * 



It will be found impossible, however, 
to keep all clippings that one may pos- 
sibly desire for future use. Sometimes 
the matter of which the writer desires to 
keep track cannot be clipped, as it is 
a portion of the contents of some book 
or set of magazines, which may not 
be marred; or the clipping may in- 
volve so much material that it" would 
only cumber a file. 

To avoid such difficulties it is advisa- 
ble to have a handy method of filing 
references. Then when reading, where- 
ever one comes upon any item of infor- 
mation that may be of value in future 
work, a note may be made of the book 
or magazine in which it is to be found. 
If a book, put down the title, author, 
and name of publisher, in case you 
should at an y time find it advisable to 
possess a copy. Then make memoran- 
dum of the page upon which the para- 
graph of especial interest is to be found, 
and write down with it as a cue the 
words with which it begins. Collate all 
this information in a small blank book, 
which should be fully indexed so that 
you may turn at once to references upon 
any subject. 

The scrap book also fills an impor- 
tant place. But a scrap book may be 
of utility, or it may be a nuisance of 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 65 

the first rank. A miscellaneous lot of 
clippings thrown into a scrap book in 
no order at all are of very little service 
when they happen to be needed. And a 
well ordered collection of clippings is in- 
deed a rarity. 

Perhaps the best scrap books are not 
scrap books at all, but filing cases, 
where ever\^thing under one head or 
treating upon one subject may be kept 
To file together and overhauled at will. These 

PP g ' filing cases may be very simple and in- 

expensive. A series of stout envelopes 
of uniform size will do as well as any- 
thing. These should be arranged in 
alphabetical order (with some brief of 
their contents on the outside) and put 
into a case in which they will fit nicely 
and methodically. By this system the 
matter is always indexed, and every- 
thing upon one subject is in one place. 

Quite as important as the informa- 
tion that a clipping may contain is 
sometimes the knowledge of where the 
clipping came from. A slip of paper at- 
tached to each clipping should record 
this information. 

Every person who as a vocation, or 
only as an avocation writes for pub- 
lication, should have a note book con- 
stant^ at hand. New ideas come to 
us at all sorts of odd times, and many 



66 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

of them are lost because there is no def- 
inite place ready at the moment in 
which to jot them down. The memory 
is a treacherous thing in such cases and 
not to be depended upon. 

The value of this ever ready note-book 
may be shown by a single illustration. 
We all know howfleeting is the memory 
of a dream. The most startling vision 
of the night, one that wakes us tremb- 
ling with affright, and that seems so 
indelibly stamped upon the palimpsest 
of the brain that it will never pass into 
nothingness, has often by morning 
vanished utterly. 

A writer whom we know was 
Utilizing awakened in the night by a terrible 

fantas}^ that had taken possession of 
his brain. So gruesome and yet so real 
was it that its literary value appealed 
to him at once. ' But knowing the 
transitory nature of these impressions 
he was afraid to sleep without at least 
recording the outline, from which the 
whole scene might be articulated at his 
leisure. So a light was struck, and 
with pencil and pad in hand, the notes 
were jotted down. In the morning it 
was but a slight task to construct a 
story — which sold at the first intention. 
Without the notes jotted down at the 
moment when the vision was most real 



dream. 



The habit 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 67 

it is doubtful if the story could have 
been written. The motto, "Secure the 
shadow ere the substance fades," should 
be ever present in the mind of the 
writer. 

"My friend," said the great Russian 
writer, Gogol, "if you wish to do me the 
greatest favor that I can expect from a 
Christian, make a note of every small 
daily act and fact that you may come 
across anywhere. What trouble would 
it be to you to write down every night 
of observation, * n a sor ^ °^ diar}^ such notes as these: 
To-day I heard such an opinion ex- 
pressed; I spoke with such a person, of 
such a disposition, such a character, of 
good education or not; he holds his 
hands thus or takes his snuff so — in 
fact everything that yon see and notice 
from the greatest to the least." It was 
this habit that resulted in it being said 
of him that no other author had so 
much the gift of showing the reality of 
the trivialities of life, of describing the 
pett}^ ways of an insignificant creature, 
of bringing out and revealing to his 
readers infinitesimal details which 
would otherwise pass unnoticed. 

An author's note books, properly 
kept, may be a mine of information, of 
inspiration, and of compensation. Al- 
most chief among the note books, in 



68 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

practical value, w T ill be that in which is 
collected and collated property informa- 
tion regarding the methods and needs 
of various publications. There is one 
standard handbook which furnishes 
such information in a compact form, 
the manual entitled "5oo Places to Sell 
Mss." But changes among publica- 
tions are constant, failures are occurring 
almost daily, and new publications start 
Keep u p like weeds in a garden. To keep 

track of events, track of all these changes is part of a 
writer's business. Unless he does it he 
cannot use his material to the best ad- 
vantage. He will find himself sending 
articles to publications that have gone 
out of existence; while other journals 
will be starting up and drawing about 
them a staff of writers and he will 
awake too late to the fact that he has 
missed a profitable market; still other 
journals are changing their style and 
methods, so that material which would 
have been acceptable to them yesterday 
will not be to-morrow. 

The rejection slips and notes of refusal 
received by writers are not as a rule 
pleasant or valued communications. 
Yet where these slips contain a hint of 
the needs of the publication, or where 
some kindly editor has penciled a hasty 
bit of information, they should be kept 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Study 

current 

publications. 



Filing 
information. 



as a matter for future reference and in- 
struction. 

So far as can be done, writers should 
seethe various literar\ r journals at no 
great intervals of time. If one can, at 
least semi-annually, collect sample cop- 
ies of them, and file them in such a 
manner that they can be referred to 
easily, thei^ will prove of great assist- 
ance. In looking them over one will 
run across certain suggestions as to 
their needs which are not told in plain 
words. In the multiplicity^ of journals, 
a mental note of such things is apt soon 
to escape one. It is far better to jot 
down briefly such matters, and place 
them where the notes can be consulted. 
An indexed note book we consider best 
for such a purpose. Then upon one page 
or under one heading may be gathered 
all the information concerning any par- 
ticular j ourn al . 

If one prefers a home-made method 
for filing information, rather than to 
use the note-book, the following sug- 
gestions from a writer ma}^ be of benefit: 

''Take a number of sheets of foolscap 
and fold them twice from the bottom 
up. Then write the name and publish- 
er's address of each of the periodicals at 
the top of the folded sheet, using one 
sheet for each periodical. In this man- 



70 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Information 

to be 

collated. 



Prepare 

your stock in 

trade. 



ner you can file them away together, 
and in a moment find the one you wish 
to consult. On the inside write in con- 
densed form all the scraps of informa- 
tion you run across." 

Such a record may contain informa- 
tion along the following lines; Period- 
icity of publication (weekly, monthly, 
etc.); different lines of work used (fiction, 
articles, poems, etc.); character of arti- 
cles, and whether illustrated or not; the 
character of the fiction, (whether some- 
what sensational, love stories, adven- 
ture, etc.); length of stories and articles; 
prices paid, (which knowledge must be 
experimental); whether the publication 
pays on acceptance or on publication; 
how long it requires to pass upon man- 
uscripts; whether it pays for verse; etc., 
etc. 

A writer who has never made use of 
such a record kept up systematically for 
a year can have little idea of the amount 
of practical information that will thus 
be gathered, and of the many times he 
will refer to it when preparing or send- 
ing off contributions. 

The writer who intends to make a 
definite occupation of literature in 
general should prepare to-day for work 
that he may wish to do ten years from 
now. In other words, he must be ac- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 71 

cumtilating material, adding to his 
stock in trade, or some day he will find 
that he has suddenly run out of 
the elementary substance from which 
to build. 

A man who sets himself down at his 
desk in the morning to write a stor\^ or 
article, with no well considered plan re- 
garding it, with no motif or incident or 
experience or bit of knowledge that he 
has churned over and over in his mind 
against its possible use at this time, 
will have a very poor chance of doing 
anything worth while. 

On the other hand, if he can refer to a 
subject book, in which he has put down 
Advantage from time to time subjects which it has 
then seemed to him might some day serve 
his needs, and if he has from time to 
time referred to these, thought them 
over, and formulated some method for 
their use, it will not be a difficult thing 
now to select one of them and soon be 
in the full swing of composition along 
a well considered path. 

A subject book may be divided into 
different sections and each of these de- 
voted to an entirely different line of 
topics. One ma}^ be for fiction, in which 
titles or motifs alone are to be set 
down, leaving suggestions for the work 
which will go into the story, to be en- 



book. 



72 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

tered at the proper place in other note- 
books. Other sections may be devoted 
to headings for essays, geographical 
and historical sketches, feature articles, 
poems, practical articles, etc. 

When preparing for work it may de- 
pend largely upon the mood as to the 
The mood * me °f subjects that will most commend 
and itself to one. Having thus determined 

the topic. whether one will devote this particular 
morning to writing a story or to work- 
ing upon some practical or historical 
article, it will be comparatively easy to 
select the topic that will just fit in 
with the present mood of work. 

The choice having been made, other 
note-books and clipping files will be 
brought into play, and work which 
otherwise would be a thankless task 
goes on merrily and swimmingly. 

In a subject book it is quite probable 
that many topics will be put down 
which will never be used. There will be 
a constant process of selection on the 
part of the writer, and after a time the 
pages will show the survival of the tin- 
fittest. Yet a writer who has for years 
made use of such a subject book 
states that it is a constant surprise to 
him to find what a very large percent- 
age of the subjects set down therein 
have eventually proved available. He 



PRACTICAL AUTPIORSRTP 73 

also states that the fact was self-evident 
that almost all of those set down upon 
the earlier pages of the book had been 
worked, while comparatively few of the 
later subjects had as yet proven of 
practical utility-. This undoubtedly sig- 
nified that those themes which have 
been in the mind for a considerable 
time and which have constantly recur- 
red as the pages of thebook were turned 
over each day in the search for a topic, 
are the ones upon which one can most 
readily work. Thus it is clearly shown 
Prepare that those who produce miscellaneous 

now for future contributions for current publication 
work. should not depend wholly upon the sub- 

jects that may come to mind only as 
one goes to his desk, but that all should 
endeavor to prepare ahead for the task 
which is inevitably to be done. It has 
been very 'well said that in this manner 
we get the advantage of "unconscious 
cerebration" as well as that of deliberate 
attention in our reading and thought 
to such topics as we have thus set 
apart for future labor. 

The subject book may be abused as 
well as used. Nothing should be set 
down therein which does not contain 
possibilities. Consider well before you 
devote a line to a topic which may only 
prove a burden and an annoyance. 



74 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

In using it for the purpose of selecting 

a subject it will be the height of folly to 

endeavor to take up the subjects in the 

order in which they have been set down, 

Things as if you are bound to begin at the top 

to consider of the firgt page and wr j te straight 

. , . down the register. But leaf back and 

topic. b ■ . 

forth and consider the material as it 
comes again and again before the eye, 
from the point of view of present 
availability, timeliness, knowledge of 
the theme, present vividness, and adap- 
tability to the mood of the hour. In 
this way it may be found that a subject 
which was last week obscure and unat- 
tractive to a degree, is now clear and 
attractive and full of suggestion. 

The very fact of having a subject no- 
ted down for possible use will direct 
one's attention toward it, and informa- 
tion which may be in line with the topic 
will apparently gravitate toward one 
unsought. 



CHAPTER V. 



A STEPPING STONE THE TRAINING VALUABLE FOR 

FUTURE LITERARY WORK NEWSPAPER ENGLISH 

THE NEWSPAPER A DAILY MAGAZINE DIVIS- 
ION OF LABOR — NECESSARY QUALITIES FOR A 

REPORTER HOW TO WRITE A NEWS STORY 

VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE AND ACQUAINTANCE 

FAMOUS CORRESPONDENTS — COMPENSATION — THE 

REPORTER'S FIELD EXAMPLES OF REPORTORIAL 

WORK. 



The work of the newspaper reporter 
is not often considered among "the 
j^g higher or more enticing branches of lit- 

newspaper erary endeavor. Most of the reporter's 
reporter. work is performed hastily, his copy is 

prepared while the presses are waiting, 
and there is little time to infuse any lit- 
erary spirit into his work even though 
he has the ability. 

His contributions form an important 
part of the make-up of the daily issues 
* of the great organs of news and public 

opinion, yet that which he contributes 
is rarely signed and so he has no oppor- 
tunity to make his personality known 
to the reading public. Yet notwith- 
standing these difficulties and draw- 



His 



76 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

backs, there are a few men who have 
made the obscure post of the reporter 
a stepping stone to the higher walks of 
literary life. 

In some ways the training that the 
reporter receives in the ceaseless and 
often unpleasant grind of newspaper 
work, is of the highest value. It teaches 
training by the hi m to think and act quickly and to 
blue pencil. seize unerringly the salient points of a 
stor^r. He will turn toward dramatic 
forms of expression naturally, realizing 
that in the brief space allotted to him 
in the columns of his journal, that which 
he has to say needs to be said effective- 
ly. Condensation, the doing away with 
redundant verbiage, the uselessness of 
fine writing, are all borne in upon him 
daily by the editorial blue pencil which 
ruthlessly cuts down his half column to 
a compact stick-full. 

A reporter upon a great newspaper 
comes into close contact with many 
phases and conditions of life. Tragedy in 
its deepest hues is constantly before 
him. The under side of the world be- 
comes to him an open book. The ma- 
chinations of political life are laid bare 
before him. All these aie material for 
the story writer and the novelist of the 
future. As an illustration, we may take 
the work of a young magazine writer, 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



77 



The 

newspaper 

as a 

training school, 



Mr. Walter Barr, which is just now at- 
tracting attention. It probably would 
be impossible for anyone to write stor- 
ies dealing with "practical politics" as 
his recent ones do, unless he had been 
through the school of the reporter. 

It is objected that the newspaper does 
not form a good training school for the 
serious literar\ T worker, as its methods 
demand the subversion of style to the 
practical everyday needs of journalism. 
"Newspaper English" has become a by- 
word, yet some of the most carefully 
edited of our metropolitan journals con- 
tain no word or phrase or sentence that 
can be cavilled at hy the most discrimi- 
nating critic. Such a journal is the New 
York Sun, under the careful editorial 
management of Mr. Paul Dana, a wor- 
thy successor to his father. Such was 
the New York Evening Post under 
William Cullen Bryant, and such has 
always been The New York Tribune; 
and other journals throughout our 
country are almost equally deserving 
of honorable mention in this respect. 
Perhaps certain careful writers and 
critics would have an intellectual awak- 
ening could they see the stringent rules 
in some newspaper offices for the guid- 
ance of their writers. Slang and collo- 
quialisms are prohibited, and lists are 



78 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

made of words that must not be used. 
Other lists show forms of spelling that 
must be adhered to. Others show 
words that must be avoided in describ- 
ing certain things, for the simple reason 
that they have been overworked in 
newspaper use. 

When we consider that a single issue 
of some of our larger newspapers con- 
tains as much reading matter as one of 
A the standard magazines, and that this 

dai| y is all written, put into type, proofread, 

8 " printed, and put into circulation within 
twenty-four hours, it seems little short 
of the marvelous that there is so little 
to cavilat. We fancy that if some of 
our magazine editors who decry this 
same ''Newspaper English" were for 
once compelled to get up an issue of 
their magazine in so short a time, the 
editing would be very much less careful 
and correct than it is on the average 
newspaper. 

The dail^- newspaper is a great news 
machine, of which the reporter is but 
one of the component parts — a cog of 
the great system of wheels b\ r which it 
moves. Yet without this important 
cog this daily record of current events 
could not exist. The public at large is 
apt to consider the reporter chieffy as 
an interviewer who goes about with 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 79 

unlimited cheek prying into the concerns 
of other people. We regret that there 
is some foundation to warrant this 
assumption, for certain journals of the 
sensational order make a special feature 
of such work. Yet one who forms his 
opinion of a reporter and his work upon 
such scant premises will go very far 
wrong. 

A large metropolitan daily must of 
course have a very large staff of report- 
ers in order to cover rapidly the whole 
field of possible incidents and happen- 
The work i n g s > an d secure every item of news so 
of a reporter. that no rival journal may in the morn- 
ing congratulate itself upon a "scoop." 
In such offices the work is systematized, 
each reporter having his especial assign- 
ment: one will be detailed for society, 
another for railroad, one each for sport- 
ing, police, fires, courts, etc. There may 
be, even upon the most conservative 
journal, one whose special facult} T is 
interviewing, and whose regular detail 
is for such work. But while each may 
thus have his special assignment, he 
must be ready to execute any branch of 
reportorial work, and be ready for any 
emergency of the hour, before he can be 
considered thorough in his trade. 

Essential qualities for a reporter are 
tact and foresight. The latter is an 



80 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

attribute difficult to develop; the best 
reporters are those with whom it is 
inherent. Reporters have been known 
who have had news items evolve be- 
fore their very eyes, yet who did not 
recognize them as such. A man of this 
class will not advance very rapidly nor 
very far in his profession. 

Upon securing a position where j^ou 
have an opportunity to show if y^ou 
have in you the stuff of which reporters 
are made, the first thing will be to re- 
ceive from the city editor an assign- 
ment. He may order you to visit the 
hotels and examine the registers for 
important arrivals Or at the moment 
Rapid there may be an alarm of fire and he 

workers w yj sen( j y OU ff to ± V y your qualities in 

that line. Or he may send you into the 
slums to investigate the circumstances 
of last night's murder, or into the more 
aristocratic quarters of the city to pick 
up the crumbs of the latest salacious 
scandal. Whatever your assignment is, 
cover the ground as rapidly as possible, 
and keep in mind that as soon as you 
arrive at the office your duty is to pro- 
duce your "copy" with the least pos- 
sible delay. Speed is the ever present 
watchword for the workers upon a 
daily newspaper. 
Upon arrival at the office your 



How 
to write 
newspaper 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 81 

material will probably be in the form of 
brief, rough notes; the reporter who un- 
derstands his work does not try to 
write out his article while he is upon 
the scene. The notes, however, should 
be in consecutive and orderly arrange- 
ment, so that when the start at the 
" write-up'' is made, the material will 
story. fall naturally into the three parts — the 

introduction, the story itself, and the 
details. The introduction should con- 
tain the gist of the event or incident, 
and it should be sufficiently plain and 
comprehensive to furnish a busy or 
hasty reader a fair knowledge of the 
happening. Even though the editorial 
blue pencil has condensed the news of 
the day to apparently the smallest pos- 
sible compass, there are yet busy men 
who do little more than read the head- 
lines and skim over the introduction to 
each article. 

After the introduction comes the tell- 
ing of the principal incidents. Then fol- 
low the details, which may be particu- 
larized to such length as is warranted 
by the importance of the subject matter 
itself. These details are for people who 
have plentj^ of time to read and who 
are not satisfied until they know all 
that can be told of the latest murder, 
elopement, marriage in high life, railway 



importance. 



82 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

accident, hotel holocaust, death of a 
public man, meeting between two great 
politicians, bank robbery, or whatever 
may be the particular news the reporter 
has covered. 

A new man upon a paper is handicap- 
ped if he is a stranger in the city. In 
such a case the first thing for him to do 
is to make a study of the especial locali- 
Acquaintance ties in which he mav be expected to 
!"A tte l°_ f . firSt work - The greater his knowledge of 
the city and its people, the more likely 
will he be to come upon important 
items of news on his own account, and 
the more able will he be to cover rapid- 
ly and fully any assignment that may 
be gi^en him. He should lose no op- 
portunity to enlarge his circle of ac- 
quaintance, especially among prominent 
people and those who figure in public 
affairs. Some of our most successful re- 
porters have been those who were 
enabled to win the confidence and 
friendship of men high in part} r or 
national councils. Often such friend- 
ship has been the means of enabling 
them to secure exact information re- 
garding most important public events 
far in advance of their contemporaries. 
It is needless to say that a man who 
will secure such friendships must him- 
self be worthy of them. He must be, 



PRACTICAL ALTHORSHIP 



88 



What 

a newspaper 

reporter may 

accomplish 



first, absolutely honest and faithful to- 
ward his friend; a senator, or a cabinet 
officer will not be quick to accept a 
newspaper man upon terms of intimate 
friendship unless he can rely with ab- 
solute certainty upon the judicious 
quality of such friendship. He must 
know that the newspaper man will not 
make use of any information unless it is 
perfectly understood between them 
that he is at liberty to do so. 

This sometimes places the newspaper 
worker in a position where he must 
battle between conscience as represented 
by fidelity to his friend, and conscience 
as represented by 'fidelity to his profes- 
sion and to the journal upon which he 
is emplo\^ed. But a man who once 
violates a confidence of this sort is ab- 
solutely at the end of his career in this 
line of work. 

Within recent years we have witnessed 
some of the finer and greater things 
that a newspaper reporter may accom- 
plish, if he has in him the elements of 
success. Richard Harding Davis, who 
began his literary career as a newspa- 
per reporter, has represented some great 
journals at such events as the corona- 
tion of the Czar, at St. Petersburg; the 
jubilee of Queen Victoria at London; 
and was a privileged on-looker and 



84 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

participant in the brilliant and danger- 
ous episodes of the Spanish-American 
war. Julian Ralph, who began his 
career as a reporter on the New York 
Sun, and has since shown his literary 
quality in book and magazine work, 
went through the Chinese-Japanese War 
as the representative of American jour- 
nals. A newspaper reporter happened 
to be at Apia in the interests of the New 
York World when the terrible hurricane 
of 1891 swept down upon the assem- 
Some bled war vessels of three nations, and 

happy chances. ^ destroying them did much to bring 
about peace. A newspaper man was on 
the City of Paris a few years ago when 
she was disabled in mid-ocean, and when 
the whole world waited for days for 
tidings of the great ship and its treas- 
ure of human lives. This newspaper 
man sent the first news back to the 
world by getting ashore in a small boat 
as the ship neared the Irish coast, mak- 
ing his way to a cable station, and wir- 
ing back to New York several columns 
of description of the accident and of 
assurances of safety. 

The compensation of a metropolitan 
reporter depends largely upon his abil- 
ity. If he is paid on space, he may be 
able to earn anywhere from $25 to $75 
per week. It will take a pretty bright 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 85 

man, and one who is an inchistrious and 
steady worker, to reach the latter fig- 
tire. In the early days of metropolitan 
journalism all the members of the staff 
were salaried men. Now certain writ- 
ers receive salaries, while others are 
paid on space — that is, for the work 
Thg which the3 r do and which actually 

compensation finds its way into the paper. Young 
of reporters are usually put upon a salary 

reporters. f $ 10 to $15 a week. The pay of a 
space writer depends upon the paper 
that he serves as well as upon the 
amount of work that he performs. The 
prices prevailing in New York are gen- 
erally the highest in the United States. 
The leading papers there vsly $8 to $10 
per column for news. It is on record 
that in a few instances reporters have 
averaged $125 a w^eek, which is more 
than the salary of the average manag- 
ing editor. 

Outside the ministry there in no pro- 
fession in which one may get so many 
glimpses into the workings of the human 
heart as by doing staff or assignment 
work on a great newspaper. The only 
possible exception to this generalization 
may be found in the profession of the 
physician. But the physician does not 
in fact have so varied an experience, 
although in some lines he may delve 



8K PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

more deeply. It is his business to mend 
the gaps which he finds existing, with- 
out exploring causes further than they 
may affect disease and its cure. But the 
reporter, while exploring the same re- 
gions and investigating the same troub- 
les, makes it his business to learn about 
the predisposing causes, whether they 
are medical or not. 

The news gleaner may turn from a 
scene of domestic trouble to the gaie- 
ties of fashionable life, from business 
The meetings of executive bodies, where he 

reporter as a has a clear insight into the actions and 
student of motives of men who control great af- 
fairs, to the police courts, which furnish 
him with abundant stories of the 
strange things a depraved mind will ac- 
complish, and with light upon the un- 
der-half of the world. He hears not only 
the opinions of one minister, but the 
creeds of all religions. He reads the 
effect of the play on the audience, from 
ballet dances to "The Sign of the 
Cross." He is not an idle spectator, 
but he is after facts, and looks below 
the surface of things, and stores in his 
mind a wonderful and infinite variety 
of pictures that are realistic, portraying 
life as it is, and which may well furnish 
the basis for the great novel that he in- 
tends sometime to write. 



life. 



style. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 87 

The duties of the reporter call for 
quick and varied perception and ready 
execution afterward . His writing should 
be plain, direct, and instantly under- 
standable. It may be in a degree pic- 
turesque, humorous, and all that, but 
these traits are not elemental. The 
reader of a daily journal differs from the 
R ortorial reader of the novel or of magazines, in 
that he does not care at all who writes 
the record of an event to which he is 
giving his attention, provided he sees 
and seizes the meaning of it on all sides. 
This is the manner in which the writer 
is bound to present it. What the reader 
does care for is that an incident, an oc- 
currence, an event, shall be stated in a 
spirit and st}de that harmonizes with 
the matter in hand, and that all at- 
tempts at ornamentation or heighten- 
ing shall be effective by increasing the 
interest and deepening the impression. 
No matter how fine the work ma}^ be, 
if it does not help toward this end, the 
reporter is not accomplishing his es- 
pecial mission. 

To apply for a position on a news- 
paper without having a very definite 
idea of the particular work which you 
want to do, and that you are satisfied 
you can do, will rarely result profitabry. 
We would suggest to one about to ap- 



88 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

ply for such a position to prepare a list of 
several subjects which he considers time- 
ly and which he would like to write up. 
Put the titles of these proposed articles 
into comprehensive form. Write them 
out in a way to show just what you 
propose to work up and present in the 
How finished article. The best way to do 

to secure a "this is by means of complete head and 
position. sub-heads. This will give the manag- 

ing editor an insight into your article 
that mere statement by you could not. 
Have with you a half dozen such pre- 
sentations of subjects, and consider 
yourself fortunate if the manager finds 
one or two among them that he thinks 
may fit his needs. If he does this, he 
will give you an assignment to write 
upon them, with a promise to accept 
the article or articles if satisfactory. 
Now it depends upon your ability to do 
the work in a style and manner which 
will meet the needs of this particular 
newspaper. 

To illustrate the manner in which 
these memorandums should be prepared 
for presentation to the editor, we will 
give some examples taken from a single 
issue of the New York Sun. The first is 
an interview with the wife of the 
warden of Sing Sing prison. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 89 



MRS. SAGE'S PRISON WORK. 



Experiences That Fall To The Lot 
Of Few Women. 



Recollections of Two Women Who 
Were Condemned to Die in Sing 
Sing Prison — Maria Barberi's Im- 
provement—Mrs. Place's Last Da\^s— 
Male Convicts Who Retain Love 
for Their Mothers. 

* * * * * 

Examples ^] ie nex t { s foreign correspondence 

„ . ,, dated Munich, April 12. Of course we 
do not mean to suggest that The Sun 
would present anything as foreign cor- 
respondence that did not in truth come 
from over seas, but an article of this 
sort may be written in New York or 
Chicago as well as elsewhere by any 
person who possesses the requisite in- 
formation. The headings show very 
clearly about what subject matter is to 
follow. 

MARRIAGES IN GERMANY. 



A Business System That Works Well 
In Practice. 



German Husbands not Ideal from 
the American Standpoint — A Dowry 
for the Bride One Prerequisite — 
Matches Made by Advertising — Re- 



90 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

strictions as to Marriage Placed on 
Army Officers. 



A start in newspaper correspondence 
can often be made by writers living in 
rural districts, who will send items of 
news to their nearest city papers. Items 
of general interest such as local happen- 
ings and personals concerning persons 
Newspaper cor- Q f prominence, accounts of fires, rail- 
p road wrecks, robberies, murders, sui- 

cides, failures in business, damage to 
property by storms, etc., will be gladly 
received and paid for by metropolitan 
journals not too far distant, and es- 
pecially by such as circulate in the ter- 
ritory from which such correspondence 
comes. 

County papers also like correspon- 
dents in subtirban villages, and will 
usually pay enough to warrant one in 
giving some attention to the work. 
For these latter journals, items of local 
interest are desired, and personals 
about people, of a class which the 
metropolitan journal would not con- 
sider of importance. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE SHORT STORY MODEL SHORT STORIES THE NEW 

WRITER WELCOME QUALITIES OF THE SUC- 
CESSFUL SHORT STORY LOVE STORIES ALWAYS 

POPULAR — ACTION LENGTH SAD STORIES NOT 

DESIRED "TRUE STORIES" NOT GOOD FICTION 

RAPID OR SLOW COMPOSITION FASHIONS IN 

FICTION STATEMENTS OF PUBLISHERS' NEEDS 

TIMELINESS IN FICTION. 



In the field of the short story exists 
the widest possible opportunity for 
writers — both new and old. Short stor- 
ies are used by the vast majority of 
publications of all classes. While one 
may easily reckon up the number of 
The journals that are in the market for ser- 

short story. ials, for essays, and for certain other 
lines of work, it is almost impossible to 
estimate those which use the short 
story, to a greater or lesser extent. 
Some daily papers make a special feature 
of a short story in each issue; thus a 
single one of them affording a market 
for three hundred and sixty-five stories 
in the course of a year. Almost all the 
metropolitan newspapers use short sto- 

91 



92 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

ries in their special Sunday editions, but 
sometimes these are supplied under a 
syndicate contract. The weekly literary 
journals, the monthly magazines, and 
the syndicates, are short story buyers. 
Then all the household journals use 
them, and class and trade journals af- 
ford a limited market. In these latter 
cases journals devoted to agriculture, 
for instance, use stories of farm life. 
Musical journals use stories having a 
musical motif, etc. Of course the supply 
is illimitable, but the demand is so large 
and so constant that it may fairly be 
said that any short story, correctly 
written, and having a definite motif qxlA. 
development, may find place if one will 
be persistent in sending it the rounds. 

But there are short stories — and short 
stories. The highest development of 
them may be seen in such instances as 
Examples Poe's "Gold Bug," (the best example of 
of the best. the "treasure story" which our litera- 
ture affords) and Kipling's "Brushwood 
Boy." In the latter, which is a story of 
perhaps not more than five thousand 
words, the complete life story of two 
characters is told. Not only this, but 
with vivid characterization, description, 
splendid style, imagination, the elements 
of adventure and danger, affection and 
sentiment, such as are rarely found even 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



New writers 
not discrimina- 
ted against. 



within the compass of a two volume 
novel. Competent critics have pro- 
nounced this one of the best examples 
of the short story to be found in the 
English language. The other extreme 
of the short story may be found in the 
columns of some of the so-called "family 
story papers," which pander to the 
intellectual needs of the half-educated 
classes. 

The writer of the short story natur- 
ally hopes to find acceptance with the 
leading monthly magazines. Publica- 
tion in these means liberal compensa- 
tion, and the bringing of one's name 
and talents before the most liberally 
educated and most appreciative por- 
tions of our reading public. In com- 
menting upon the needs of these jour- 
nals it will perhaps not be out of place 
for us to correct at the outset an er- 
roneous impression largely prevalent 
among young writers. This is to the 
effect that the editors of the leading 
magazines are prejudiced against them, 
and in favor of writers who already 
have an established reputation. 

A little reflection should convince any- 
one of the folly of this. All of these now 
famous writers -were once new writers, 
and were as eagerly seeking for recogni- 
tion as any of the beginners of to-day. 



94 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

It would not be difficult to discover 
among them many who found recogni- 
tion in the first instance at the hands of 
these most exclusive editors. New blood 
and new material have been and are 
being watched for all the time. A 
writer who has something new to say, 
or who can say an old something in a 
new way, provided both the matter and 
the manner be good, will have no 
trouble to obtain a hearing from the 
best journals. 

It is true that we see more work from 
Editors recognized writers than from amateurs 

watching for in their pages. That is because the 
newjaient. older writers do the best work. They 
have had training and experience. They 
know how. Once in a generation,' per- 
haps, a new writer leaps fully equipped 
into the arena. He has material and 
manner. His st}de, inherent, is perfect. 
He does not need the discipline of years, 
of criticism, of the rejection of his man- 
uscripts. But the majority of writers 
must serve an apprenticeship before 
they can hope to become master work- 
men. Do not become discouraged be- 
cause of this. It is only what is expected 
in all other trades and professions, in 
all the arts and sciences. Why should 
the writer alone expect to be exempt? 

But to go back to the short story. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 95 

Perhaps you remember the line: "Stor\-! 
God bless you, I have none to tell." 
There are too many would-be story 
writers that are in the same case. Then 
let us affirm as the first principle, 
that one must be certain that he has a 
story to tell, before he can expect to tell 
The his story. Again, be certain the story 

elements of a you have to tell is worth the telling. 
story. j n it there must be a definite tale, one 

that possesses some vital element of in- 
terest. There must be action, and if 
there is a plot it should be clear and 
distinct. The writer should see its end 
from the verj r beginning. Otherwise he 
will be apt to drift on and on in an end- 
less maze of words, in his fruitless en- 
deavor to evolve a climax. 

There must be something^ the story. 
Ifinastory of 3000 words you have 
one situation that will set the nerves 
tingling and cause the blood to course 
more quickly through the veins, one 
situation that will stir the emotions 
and cause the reader to take a livelier 
interest in the joys and sorrows of the 
creatures of jour imagination, you have 
at least the elements of a good story. 
This situation, the strongest in your 
story, should be at the close, and the 
entire action should lead up to it with 
definite purpose and cumulative effect. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



The 

manner makes 

the story. 



Tell the story 
directly. 



It has been said, and not without 
truth, that all the stories have been 
told. Perhaps it is true that the whole 
gamtit of human emotions has been run. 
But there are new combinations to be 
made, of scenes, characters, motives, 
and passions. It is the skill with which 
these component elements are handled 
that will prove the ability of the story 
writer. The only thing that the author 
can contribute which will be wholly or- 
iginal and his own, wall be the style — 
the manner. In this we will find the 
man himself, the force and character of 
his own personality. 

It would be almost impossible to name 
the various classifications of the short 
story. There is the historical story, the 
story of contemporaneous life, the story 
of adventure or of incident, the instruc- 
tive story, (written obviously for the 
sake of the moral), the story of emotion 
and passion, and, best and most popu- 
lar of all, the good old-fashioned love 
story. It is of this that editors and 
readers never tire. 

In telling the short storj- it is import- 
to get in medias res at one. Strike the 
keynote at the beginning, with no un- 
certain touch. Have action at the out- 
set if possible, and continue it right 
through the story. The short stor} r will 



Consider 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 97 

not bear much descriptive work, no 
moralizing, no explanation regarding 
your characters. Have your characters 
explain themselves and their relation to 
each other hj speech and action. Do 
not even describe their personal appear- 
ance. If this must be given at all, let 
it be made a portion of the dialogue. 
From this let your readers draw the 
portraits for themselves. 

The length of the short story is an im- 
portant factor toward its success. As 
a rule, no short story that is to be used 
the leneth ln a sm ^ e number of any publication 
should exceed 6,000 words; this wall 
make a.bout eight pages of any of the 
larger magazines if without illustra- 
tions, and with illustrations, of course 
more space will be occupied. For the 
household and domestic journals, sto- 
ries may run anywhere from 1,500 to 
5,000 w r ords. For the literary weeklies 
2,000 to 3,000 words is a fair length. 
For syndicate or newspaper use about 
3,500 words is the extreme length, and 
from this down to 1,000 or 1,500 wrords. 
All other things being equal, a stor}^ 
which does not run to the maximum 
length permitted, stands the best chance 
of acceptance; for with shorter stories, 
an editor may use in each number of his 
publication two or three instead of one, 



98 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

and so make up with greater variety, 
and with material that will fit varied 
tastes. 

Success in short story writing — after 
one has good material — depends much 
upon business abih4w. A short story 
writer should possess recent copies of 
journals of all classes that use such 
work. He should study them carefully, 
and from what they have used judge 
what the\^ will probably like to use in 
the future. Study the length and style. 
Fit your A journal that is using in each number 

story to your a half dozen stories of 2,500 or 3,000 
medium, words each, will not be likely to make 

up future issues with two stories of 
8,000 or 9,000 words each. A news- 
paper that uses every day a sketch of 
1,000 or 1,500 words will not vary its 
rule to use your story of 5,000 words. 
The journal that makes a specialty of 
stories of incident and adventure will 
not care for stories of domestic life. The 
religious journals will not accept stories 
that are not of wholesome tone and 
which cannot be read in the family circle. 
The average young writer seems to 
turn instinctively toward the sad and 
tragic aspects of life, when he dips into 
fiction. Tragic stories amount to full}^ 
ninety per cent of all the fiction offered 
for sale. Thus it can readily be under- 



error. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 99 

stood that editors who desire to give 
variety to their pages are all the time 
seeking anxiously for stories that will 
show the lighter and brighter phases of 
human nature. As these are in such a 
minority they^ are correspondingly diffi- 
cult to secure. One who can write such, 
of thoroughly strong, virile qualities, is 
certain of a market, of appreciation, and 
of compensation from the outset. 

A curious error that many young 
writers fall into is that of laboriously 
A assuring editors that the story- they have 

prevalent submitted for use in their fiction de- 
partment is "a true story." Now what 
an anomaly is this! Stop and think a- 
bout it for a moment. You are suppos- 
ed to be writing a work of fiction, not 
a narrative of events that have really 
happened. Do you think it will com- 
mend your work to an editor to say to 
him that your imagination is so slight 
that you cannot do that which you 
claim to have attempted, but that you 
"were compelled to fall back lamely upon 
a mere something that you had learned 
or observed? 

It is quite right to use suggestions 
Irom real life, or even incidents in their 
entirety, for the purpose of embellishing 
your story. But to put especial stress 
upon the fact that y r our characters or 






100 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

situations, or sometimes the stories en- 
tire are drawn from life, will prejudice 
your case before the court. Your story 
ceases to be a story in anything but the 
newspaper sense when you make it 
merely a narrative. That it is true, 
even though it has the semblance of fic- 
tion, does not make it any more im- 
pressive to the editor, who has long 
since learned the truth of the adage 
that there are more strange real things 
than the imagination ever has coined. 

Let your story be a coinage from the 
L e t brain, or a development from your ob- 

your fiction be servation and knowledge of life. Then 
fiction. submit it on its merits, not seeking by 

any comment or explanation to give it 
an interest that is not inherent. The 
editor will not set your explanation be- 
fore his readers even if he accepts your 
story; and it is from the readers' point 
of view as well as from his own that he 
will pass judgment; and — sometimes — 
he will not believe your statement that 
it is true, but will be so obtuse as to 
think that jon are only trying to excite 
his interest by adventitious efforts. 

It is not always, nor indeed often a 
recommendation to an editor to say 
that the story which you offer him has 
been produced without effort and with- 
out thought, and in the briefest time 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 101 

consistent with the amount of mere 
manual labor that has been performed 
upon it. We know that some writers, 
very young writers, hold contrary 
opinions. We have in our possession 
letters in evidence of this fact, and we 
are adding to that collection every 
day. One which came to hand not 
long ago was a curiosity. It stated 
The that: "While* at breakfast I decided to 

off-hand story, write a story. I did not know what it 
would be about. Immediately upon 
leaving the table I went to my desk, 
took pen and paper, and wrote steadily 
until noon. The result I hand you, a 
completed story of about 5,000 words. 5 ' 
It is not necessary to state here what 
sort of a story this was which was 
composed and written in such an off- 
hand manner. But we wish to make 
some comments upon the method, 
which may serve as a warning to 
writers who think that the ability to 
perform such a task in such a manner, 
whether that performance be good or 
bad, is a mark of genius. The very 
worst point in this example is that our 
correspondent determined to write a 
story, and set about executing his pur- 
pose, without having any idea as to 
what the story would be about. 

Good stories are not written in this 



102 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

way. The very first requisite for a story 
is an idea. The better the idea, and the 
more clearly and concisely it is worked 
out before penis put to paper, the better 
the story will be. It is not necessary 
that the idea should even be kin to in- 
spiration. We are not very great be- 
lievers in inspiration. It is true that 
occasionally an idea comes to a writer 
like a flash of lightning, revealing to 
him in the imperceptible molecule of 
time that lies between two passing 
seconds, a picture which, if he can suc- 
ceed in putting into words, will be wel- 
comed by editors and will do much to 
put him forward in his career. 
The idea for the story may be at the 
certain of an outset only a fragment. It may be but 
idea. an isolated situation; or a striking in- 

cident, or a condition of life, or the re- 
lations between two beings; or it may 
be a partially evolved plot, which is but 
the skeleton, the frame-work upon which 
the story must be built with all the care 
and skill of which one is master. This 
requires a little time. It can hardly be 
done while you are annihilating your 
morning coffee and roll. Of course there 
are many instances of rapid accomplish- 
ment of good work. "Rasselas" is one 
that will occur to all. But we beg to 
suggest that the brain of the great lexi- 



Be 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 103 

cographer has not descended to many 
of us. 

A more modern instance and one less 
well known, and it is perhaps needless 
to say one less worthy, was Mr. Frank- 
fort Moore's production of "The Sale of 
a Soul;" a story of some 35,000 words, 
which the author assures us was done 
in eight days. However, "The Sale of a 
Rapid vs. slow Soul" is a very good story; yet we do 
composition. not cite this to the earnest literary 
worker as an example which it would 
be wise for him to emulate. 

Rather let us call } r our attention to 
I / the Va^Jima Letters of the great-brained 
and great-souled Stevenson. Therein he 
tells with what infinite painstaking, 
with what severe self-criticism, with 
what doubting if after all the thing 
were good, he built up those stories 
which have enchanted and held captive 
the most intelligent readers of both 
hemispheres. Three days' work over a 
newspaper letter; sixty days devoted to 
the writing of 40,000 words, and think- 
ing that he has then done well even to 
have done so much, after days and days 
of toiling and of spoiling white paper, 
only to say at last, that he thinks he 
has a frame-work upon which he may 
later build when he is more in the mood. 

It is certain that different men must 



104 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

work in different ways, and there are 
many who accomplish good work with 
remarkable rapidity. There are others 
to whom composition is slow and to 
whom every line comes with labor. 
Neither the one way nor the other is a 
certain mark of genius. The statement 
of methods by which work is produced 
will not alone commend it. But if any 
word will help with an editor, it is the 
honest statement that the work is a 
growth, the result of toil, of loving and 
painstaking effort. 

To go back to Stevenson. He states 
that he once worked two days on a. 
single page, and afterward felt that he 
A should have worked three days upon 

conscientious it. Yet he adds that he does not think 
worker. ne could be accused of idleness. It was 

his rule to work six, or seven, or eight 
hours a day; and then to spend much of 
the balance of his waking hours in plan- 
ning and in sowing seed which would 
bring fruit later. 

The hours that are given to reflection 
are often the best hours of the writer's 
working day. Out of nothing nothing 
comes. He who rises from the break- 
fast table, saying to himself: "I will 
write a story to-day;" and knowing 
not what the story will be, having made 
no preparation for it, having given no 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



105 



Fashions 

in 
fiction. 



Editors 
controlled by 
their readers. 



thought to it, will be apt to produce a 
poor thing. 

Fashions in fiction are subject to con- 
stant change. Editors do not often set 
the fashion, but they keep close watch 
upon the whims and changing fancies 
of their readers, and endeavor to supply 
the demand for something new as soon 
as that demand makes itself evident. 
This being true, it is incumbent upon 
those who write to give watchful con- 
sideration to the question, "What does 
the editor want?" By doing this one 
may be able to drive more directly 
toward the goal than would otherwise 
be the case. 

Of course it is better to sell a story at 
the second or third or even twentieth 
intention than not to sell it all. But 
infinitely better than this is it to under- 
stand the needs of editors so well that 
one may not have to waste great quan- 
tities of patience and postage stamps 
upon each story before finally getting it 
placed. 

A journal may be in want of stories 
and advertise that fact abroad; yet it is 
not so much stories in general as stories 
in particular that are wanted. Stories, 
after certain models, may be had galore 
for the asking. But if the editor recog- 
niezs a distinctly new trend in the tastes 



106 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



of his readers, it is the stories that will 
satisfy this taste that he is seeking. The 
writer who with the editor can see this, 
want and fill it, is the writer who will 
succeed. 

A few years ago we saw the public 
taking rapturous^ to stories of dialect. 
Changes ^° ^ e sure * n man J °f them were to be 

in public taste, found plot, good character sketching, 
the attributes that go to make the story 
that all the world likes. Yet these were 
obscured in a mass of dialect that after 
a little became very tiresome reading — 
and to-day the dialect story can hardly 
be sold. Then we had the etching, 
which was often a character sketch in 
miniature; and we had the story of 
analysis, and the problem storj^; and 
to-day all these have made room again 
for the story of plot and denouement. 

In telling the short story, felicity of ex- 
pression is desirable, and fidelity to life 
— which is another name for realism. 
But these of themselves are not suffi- 
cient. Back of the method of telling is 
the story that is told. 
Statements The editors of a few of our publica- 

of editorial tions are very definite in explaining to 
needs. would-be contributors what they desire. 

Munsey's Magazine says: "We want 
stories. That is what we mean — stories, 
not dialect sketches, not washed out 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



107 



Cheerful 

stories in 

demand. 



studies of effete human nature, not 
weak tales of sickly sentimentality, not 
'pretty' writing. This sort of thing in 
all its varieties comes by the car load 
every mail. It is not what we want, 
but we do want fiction in which there is 
a stor\^, action, force, — a tale that 
means something, in short a story " 

The Harpers give this summary of 
conditions that seem to them to be of 
essential importance in fiction. 

1. A well developed plot. 

2. Good characterization. 

3. Good, vigorous English. 

4. A moral tone. 

5. A happy or artistic ending. 

6. A well selected title, perhaps one 
which would arouse curiosity. 

We have alluded elsewhere to the fact 
that the cheerful story is the one that 
editors are most glad to consider. The 
editor of a leading publication for the 
young returned a story with the com- 
ment that it could not be accepted as it 
was so very sad, and she did not like to 
try the feelings of her young readers 
with it. The wisdom of such a decision 
cannot be questioned. 

Another editor in commenting upon 
the question of editorial needs, states: 
"It depends largely upon an editor's 
constituency, of course. But every- 



108 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Romance 

or 
realism. 



Mr. Bonner' 
standard, 



where, I think, truth to life and a human 
interest, is the first demand. Realism is 
the fad of the moment, but romance will 
struggle with realism, and the most pro- 
saic narrative must have something of 
the 'light that never was on sea or land' 
to make it attractive. The author, like 
the actor, must dress for the footlights. 
The novelist who fails to touch a chord 
vibrating with human sympathy will 
never please the editor, who, poor body, 
feels vicariously always the throb of 
the people's pulse." 

In stating that the author must dress 
for the footlights we touch again upon 
the matter of using true stories. Aside 
from the fact that the "true story" is 
not properly a piece of fiction, is the fact 
that it would be extremely difficult to 
find a true story or an exact narrative 
that had the proper artistic ending that 
would make it adaptable to editorial 
needs. That is why the author "must 
dress for the footlights." 

We have had during recent years de- 
cidedly too much of the erotic in fiction. 
Happily this spasm has passed, and 
while it lasted it was confined mainly to 
publications of a minor grade. But it 
may be w r ell for both writers and editors 
to remember the standard that was set 
up by Mr. Bonner when he began the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 109 

publication of The Ledger. His ideal 
reader was an imaginar\^ old lad\ r with a 
famuV of daughters tip among the Ver- 
mont hills; and everything considered 
for publication was with the question: 
"Would the old lady want her daughters 
to read this? 1 ' It would certainly be well 
for some writers to keep a similar old lady 
in mind. For while some peculiar inter- 
est of style or matter may give passing 
notoriety to a piece of fiction too highly 
spiced, the American public and the 
American editor as a whole prefer the 
wholesome. 

In fiction, the timely is also to be con- 
sidered. Timeliness in literature is sup- 
posed to be a necessary adjunct, mainly, 
to the article, essay, editorial, etc. But 
Timeliness in fiction, whatever falls in with the in- 
in fiction. teres t of the hour is especially welcome. 
This is particularly true of publications 
which give limited space to fiction, pub- 
lishing but one or two stories in each 
issue. 

One of the syndicates said: "Whatever 
we use in the way of fiction will be in 
the shape of stories not exceeding 2,000 
words in length, containing a definite 
plot, pathetic and humorous situations 
and treated in the m ost artistic manner . ' ' 
Another syndicate says: "Stories must 
be full of action and of perfect moral 
tone." 



110 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

From the editorial views here pre- 
sented, we may gather that the present 
editorial want in fiction is, in brief: A 
plot, plenty of action, a health}^ whole- 
some tone, strong characterization, 
vivid interest and artistic treatment. 

The brain of the story writer should 

be like the sensitized plate of the camera. 

All situations which come under his 

The habit observation should be photographed 

°f instantly and without effort upon this 

observation. brain; and in such clear and orderly 

arrangement that they may be called 

forth and used whenever the need occurs. 

The habit of observation should be 
brought down to the final analysis. In 
looking at a landscape one should see 
not onljr that the earth is green and the 
sky blue, but he should see the details of 
the |3icture: the kinds of grasses, the fo- 
liage of the trees, the tones of the color 
of the sky; the whole should be there so 
that a word picture could be painted; 
not at length, but with those swift dis- 
tinct touches that make it real. If one 
sees a woman, he should see at once her 
dress, her facial characteristics, her car- 
riage, whether her hair be brown or blue, 
her eyes green or black. He should ob- 
serve the quality of her voice, so that he 
can reproduce it to the reader. Charac- 
ters never appeal to the reader as faith- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 111 

ful portraits unless the writer has put 
into them some attributes which have 
come under his observation in actual 
people. Perhaps some of the greatest 
characters of fiction, characters which 
have lived and become household words, 
have been portraits itipart, if not in 
whole. 

In regard to the technique of the 
short story, it cannot be too much em- 
phasized that conversation should play 
a most important part. A professor of 
Technique Rhetoric and English Language in one 
and of our leading universities said lately 

that the story of the future would be 
made up almost entirely of conversa- 
tion. "Write your story as long as you 
please," he said, "then substitute con- 
versation for description wherever you 
can." Another, commenting upon 
method in short story work said: "It is 
not necessary to say that a woman is a 
snarling, grump}- person. Bring the old 
lady in and let her snarl" 



method. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE LITERARY RACK HIS WIDE FIELD GOLD- 
SMITH'S DESCRIPTION THE KNOWLEDGE AND 

ABILITY REQUIRED HOW LARGE INCOMES ARE 

EARNED VARIOUS LINES OP WORK DRAW- 
BACKS ANALYSIS OF INCOME, 



The literary hack is a sort of all-trades' 
jack; and in this he has the advantage 
over any writer along special lines, in 
that he can thus make use of every thing 
that comes to his net. All sorts of ma- 
terial are of utility to him, and by their 
aid he can employ profitably ever} r mo- 
ment of time that he wishes to give to 
A wide field. n * s desk. He can also vary his work as 
he will, and get that relaxation which 
comes quite as much from varying 
one's employment as from absolute 
idleness. He has the advantage of al- 
ways being able to keep an immense 
number of articles in the field, and so 
ma}^ look confidently each day for ac- 
ceptances and the consequent practical 
emoluments in the shape of paj^ments 
from editors. 

Probably the beginner would be sur- 

112 



PRACTICAL ALTHORSHIP 113 

prised to learn how wide a field the lit- 
erary hack, if he is competent, may 
occupy. Take a score of journals of the 
day, and look over their tables of con- 
tents. Throw aside the stories and see 
how many different classifications may 
yet be made of the articles contained in 
the lot. And, aside from the articles 
which are the product of specialists, any 
one of them may have been written by 
any well informed literary worker. 

Ever since Goldsmith immortalized 
the woes of the "literary hack," the 
world has had before its eyes a picture 
of a distressed author working drearily 
in a garret chamber, haunted by bailiffs, 
deserted by friends, often cold, ragged 
and hungry: 

"Where the Red Lion peering o'er the way, 
Invites each passing stranger that can pay; 
Where Calvert's butt and Parson's black cham- 

Golrismith pagne 

uomsmun Regale the drabs and bloods of Drury Lane ; 

ind the literary There, in a lonely room, from bailiffs snug, 

lk The muse found Scroggin stretched beneath a rug; 

A nightcap deck'd his brows instead of bay, 
A cap by night, a stocking all the day." 

Perhaps Goldsmith need not have 
been a literary hack had he husbanded 
the earnings of his pen with a little 
more care and common sense; but his 
failing was one that is common to 
many men of genius — a habit of trusting 
too implicitly to the morrow to care for 
• itself. By his pen he earned large sums, 



114 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

and spent them lavishly. He was al- 
ways either in debt to his publishers and 
his friends, or swimming npon the crest 
of a momentary wave of opulence. 

Yet Goldsmith was hardly a literary 
hack, in the sense that the term is now 
used. He "was too much a creature of 
moods to fasten himself to the methodi- 
cal work of our modern " all-round 
writer." 

The literary hack of the latter portion 
of the nineteenth century is one who is 
able to turn his hand — and his pen — to 
the widest variety of work. The whole 
field of newspaper and magazine jour- 
nalism is his; and in the interim of writ- 
ing ing short stories, articles of travel, in- 
modern terviewing the latest lion of the hour, or 
hack. composing a sheaf of couplets and quat- 
rains, or a sonnet upon sweetness and 
light, he turns his attention to produc- 
ing a problem novel or a new story of 
adventure to rival Treasure Island. 

His occupation, his place in the liter- 
ary scale, and more than all else, his 
emoluments, have recently been the sub- 
ject of some discussion in the periodical 
press. It is claimed on the one hand 
that he is still Goldsmith's rival in the 
matter of duns and make-shifts, and that 
such must ever be the case of a literary 
worker who has no definite connection 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 115 

with any publication or publishing 
house, but who must depend upon the 
cold chance of any editor's favor for the 
wherewithal to compensate his landlady 
for the current week's board and lodg- 
ing. On the other hand, it is alleged 
that the competent hack-writer is the 
only literary worker who is removed 
from the harassing fear of never being 
able to make both ends meet. 

There are arguments both for and 
against the occupation of the hack- 
writer. He is the distinct opposite of the 
specialist. He must needs be a more vers- 
atile man than the latter, but in the na- 
ture of things he is rarely so thorough or 
What so well informed upon any particular 

the hack-writer line. To be eminently successful he must 
must be. be broadly educated;perhaps not so thor- 
oughly grounded in the knowledge of the 
schools as in knowledge of the world. 
He must possess in the widest degree 
that ' 'general information" which comes 
from omnivorous reading, from travel, 
and from association with all sorts and 
conditions of men, combined with a keen 
insight into human nature, the ability 
to keep jDace with the progress of the 
world, with new literature, the develop- 
ment of the arts and sciences, sociologi- 
cal and metaphysical questions. He 
must have the ability to gather this in- 



llti PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

formation as he runs, and, if not thor- 
oughly to digest it, yet to store it away 
in his mind in such an orderly manner 
that it may be instantly accessible when 
needed. 

The qualities which go to make the 
competent and successful editorial writer 
upon a great newspaper are much the 
same as those which are demanded in 
the hack-writer; except that the former 
must often have the ability to go further 
beneath the surface, more into the causes 
of things, and into their effect; the hack- 
writer touches matters more upon the 
surface and, as a rule, writes more for 
the entertainment of the reader than for 
his instruction. 

As an example of his range of work 
we will cite the career of a well known 
New York journalist who is by his own 
Some confession a hack-writer. He disclaims 

examples of his any higher purpose in following his pro- 
work, fession than to meet the needs of the 
hour and the demands of editors. His 
name is signed to work in a dozen cur- 
rent publications at this moment upon 
our desk . In one, an illustrated monthly 
of the highest class, he has a short story 
of some 6,000 words. It is a good story 
— that goes without saying — or it would 
not have been admitted to the pages of 
the periodical in question— yet to the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 117 

reader who is also a writer and who, 
in consequence, reads between the lines 
to discover the method of the author, 
it bears evidences of being a "manufac- 
tured" story. The story does not show 
the qualities which contribute in any 
manner toward making a great story. 
It is, on the contrary, rather upon the 
order of newspaper work than of mag- 
azine work . It is rapid in its m o vement , 
bright in its conversations, but in char- 
acter drawing, in atmosphere, in the 
^ qualities which appeal most to the heart 

"pot-boiler" and the brain, it is clearly deficient. 
story. However, it serves its purpose well, that 

purpose being none other than to draw 
a check for an hundred dollars, or per- 
haps for half as much more, from the 
treasury of the publisher. A writer of 
no greater reputation, but one who 
would have written this story less after 
the hack-writer's manner, and more after 
the manner of the careful, conscientious 
and competent literary worker, might 
have received $250.00 or $300.00 for it. 
The difference in price would have been 
due to the difference in quality, not to 
quantity. And it may interest some of 
our readers to know that a writer 
whose name was the fancy of the hour, 
might have received $500.00 or even 
more from the same publication for a 
story of equal length. 



118 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



A 

drawback. 



His work 

sometimes su 

perficial. 



This is one drawback in the career of 
the acknowledged hack-writer; he can 
never expect to receive the very highest 
prices for his work. However good the 
work that he turns out, occasionally 
may be, he will never reach a place 
among the exalted few who receive 
fancy prices. He becomes well known 
but never famous. Editors are always 
glad to examine his work, for they 
know that he understands their needs 
well enough to avoid troubling them 
with anything that is clearly unavail- 
able for their particular use. This does 
not mean that his articles are always 
accepted at the first intention, but he is 
always accorded a respectful hearing. 

The next place that we find his name 
is in a domestic publication of high 
rank, signed to an article in which are 
discussed the nutritive food value and hy- 
gienic qualities of certain foods generally 
seen upon our tables. He does not go 
very deeply into the matter, and per- 
haps at times a scientist or a chemist 
might be able to pick flaws in his state- 
ments. But he has read up on the mat- 
ter to good purpose, and as his training 
has taught him that an error is worse 
than a crime, you may be reasonably 
sure that his article will bear all ordi- 
nary tests for accuracy. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 119 

In a daily newspaper we find an inter- 
view signed by him, the subject being a 
famous statesman making his first visit 
to this country. In this, aside from the 
work of the interviewer proper, he has 
given us a succinct but comprehensive 
review of the life and career of the 
statesman. He not only knows the 
ordinary facts of his histo^, such as 
may be gleaned from any encj^clopedic 
or biographical article, but he is familiar 
with the measures he has advocated, 
As an the principles for which he stands, the 

interviewer. great speeches he has made, the men 
with whom he has been affiliated, as 
well as those to whom he has been 
placed in opposition. Perhaps it was 
only because the writer possessed 
such comprehensive information that 
he was able to get an audience with the 
distinguished visitor and draw him into 
the conversation which enabled him to 
so well serve the needs of his paper. If 
he had been a tyro, or if he had not 
been able to show himself at least no 
stranger to the distinguished man's 
career, the latter would probably have 
brought the audience to a quick termi- 
nation. 

Other articles from the same hand are: 
"In the Steerage of an Ocean Liner;" 
"Coffee Growing in Mexico;" (both 



120 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



His 
emoluments. 



Industry 
is needful 



these articles evidently worked up from 
old note books of travel); an article on 
the "Chinese Quarter of New York," 
and so on ad infinitum . Estimating the 
value of the whole by our knowledge of 
current market prices for such work, we 
would judge that the output for the 
month returned to this fortunate hack- 
writer probably four hundred to five 
hundred dollars. 

This will seem to the general writer 
to be above the average monthly com- 
pensation of even those who are most fa- 
vorably regarded in editorial sanctums. 
This is true, yet we have reason to be- 
lieve that this particular writer does 
not fall far short of this average month 
after month and year after year. This 
is better compensation than can be ex- 
pected by even the most favored writer 
who confines himself to one or two pub- 
lications or to a single line of work. It 
would, too, require an extremely suc- 
cessful book to return as much in royal- 
ties as this writer will earn within a 
year. 

It is quite possible that this is an ex- 
ceptional hack-writer. Yet we know 
others who do an equally varied line of 
work, and who receive quite as good 
prices. If their total earnings do not 
amount to so much it is either because 



A 

mediocre 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 121 

they do not apply themselves so indus- 
triously, and so produce as much work, 
or because they do not study their mar- 
ket to equal advantage, and so fail to 
reach the maximum money reward. 

An unpleasant feature of the profession 
of the hack-writer is that it is utterly 
destructive to any high or legitimate 
literary ambition. The writer soon 
contents himself with producing work 
of a mediocre quality, and such ambi- 
tion as he may have had at the outset 
to excel in any particular line, or to 
worker produce work which will live, is lost in 

the desire to keep himself well repre- 
sented in many publications and to 
gather in all the shekels possible from 
such work. 

There is another class of hack-writers 
who are deserving of rather more sym- 
pathy. These are men who are special- 
ists along some particular line, but 
whose income from such work is not 
sufficient to provide for their needs; so 
they devote a portion of their time to 
the journalistic hurly-burly, in order to 
make it possible to do that which is 
nearest their hearts. They look with 
more or less disgust upon the stories 
and articles which are merely pot boil- 
ers, and are annoyed when they find 
that they have become better known to 



ladder. 



122 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

the public by these than b}^ the work 
which is the main purpose of their lives. 

Yet if one will be a hack-writer, let 
him make tip his mind to become a 
thoroughly competent one, to take his 
place at the head of the procession. To 
do this, as we have already said, one 
must constantly be acquiring informa- 
tion. Bear in mind that there is no item 
Get to of information, no matter how trivial 

the top of the {^ rnaY seem at the moment, which may 
not eventually be wanted in your work. 
Read and observe continually. Keep 
posted upon all questions of the day. 
Familiarize yourself with history, biog- 
raphy, read travel work, and travel 
whenever the opportunity presents. 
Keep note books and be methodical 
about arranging your information in 
such shape that you may find it when 
wanted. 

The hack-writer, and in fact writers 
of all classes, will find it of the utmost 
value constantly to make clippings 
from newspapers and periodicals, and 
to file these methodically. But to the 
hack-writer more than to any other will 
these be of value. Some of the most 
successful men in this line of work have 
such voluminous files of magazine and 
newspaper clippings as constitute a com- 
plete current history of various subjects. 



Clippings 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 123 

In this way some have histories of cer- 
tain countries; of certain industries; of 
certain social movements; of men who 
have become famous, or who are stead- 
ily growing into fame. Some day they 
find their files of value, when the coun- 
try or the industry or the man springs 
into sudden prominence. And then 
and files. Jones, who has been less methodical, 
wonders how Brown happened to have 
all this material at his fingers' ends just 
when it was needed and when it was of 
money value. Or perhaps Brown, in 
looking over his files, finds that his 
clippings are so complete upon certain 
topics that he has before him all the in- 
formation necessary to make a valuable 
and comprehensive magazine article — 
and he forthwith does it. 

Some years since The Forum con- 
tained an article concerning the literary 
hack, that was rather widely com- 
mented on as showing the inner facts 
of the life of an ordinary literary worker 
The Forum °^ "^is class. It claimed to be the actual 
and the hack- experience of a hack-writer, and its pur- 
writer, port was to show how an unpreten- 
tious member of this guild had suc- 
ceeded in securing an income of $5,000 
per year, while avowedly writing with 
no higher purpose than to produce that 
which would sell. 



An 



124 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

There was nothing remarkable about 
the article and doubtless the experiences 
given could be paralleled by a dozen 
other writers. To earn that income, as 
~we have suggested above, by writing 
articles and stories for the newspapers 
and magazines, is not an extraordinar- 
ily difficult attainment. Of course one 
must first be equipped lor the work. He 
must be possessed of a wide fund of 
general knowledge, and this must be so 
classified and arranged that it is ready 
example of the ^ or llse wnerever an d whenever needed, 
best. He must be able to write good short 

stories, or novels with sufficient merit 
to make them salable, in order to keep 
himself occupied when there are no 
other definite lines of work just ready 
for his hand. Above all he must be in- 
dustrious and must pay great attention 
to the market. The latter factor is an 
important one. It does not matter 
how much stuff he may turn off, if he is 
not able to sell it to advantage his work 
will count for little. 

In analyzing the income of this hack- 
writer we will suppose that he received 
no higher compensation than $5 per 
thousand words. At that rate he has 
to produce 3,000 words per day to ac- 
complish his aim. A fair portion of his 
work must have gone into periodicals 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 125 

that pay from $10 to $20 per thousand 
words, and thus have materially reduced 
the necessary amount of output. 

An unpretentious newspaper woman 

of our acquaintance who works steadily 

upon a great daily, once told us that 

her work outside her own paper brought 

A an income of about $1,500 per year. 

newspaper This seems to us a more noteworthy 

woman, accomplishment in the way of literary 

earnings than the $5,000 secured bj the 

self-confessed hack, who gave his whole 

time to his widely diversified work. 

After the publication of The Forum 
article, the other side of the literary hack 
question was given by a writer in one 
of the eastern papers. He stated that 
with the same apparent industry he had 
been able to secure an income that aver- 
aged only $2,000 per year. The differ- 
ence between the two was probably 
this: the man who made the $5,000 had 
a higher and wider range, greater talent 
and greater versatility^. He would sell 
for $50 an article for which the other 
man would receive but $20. Although . 
each might devote the same time to his 
article, it was quite probable that the 
finished product would differ in value. 
And it is very nearly certain that the 
two would go to different markets. To 
sum up the whole matter of the earning 
power of a competent literary hack, it 



126 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



might be fairly stated that his average 
will be found somewhere between these 
two extremes. 

While upon the subject of literary in- 
comes, we may repeat the statement 
made to us by a great New York editor 
to the effect that the best profit and the 
surest income is to be had by writing 
books. This statement will be ques- 
tioned by many, but this editor in com- 
menting upon certain men whose work 
was no longer to be found in the maga- 
zines, said: "These men will not write 
Incomes short stories, because they can make a 

and great deal more writing long ones." 

how attained. ^ Further investigation showed that 
those who were under consideration 
were engaged in writing novels, of which 
eaxh produced from one to three per year. 
They looked sharply to the financial end 
of their work, selling the serial rights 
first to the magazines, syndicates, or else- 
where, and then selling the book rights on 
a royalty. In this manner they secured 
an income that was not wholly depen- 
dent upon the work done each day. It 
is true it often happens that a writer 
finds great difficulty in selling his first 
long story or book manuscript at all. 
But if he goes to the right place, and 
his long work is equally as good as his 
shorter efforts, it is no more difficult to 
find a place for the one than for the other. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE SPECIALIST WHAT HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN 

OTHER FIELDS HIS PLACE IN LITERATURE 

WHAT HE MAY ACHIEVE THE VARIED LINES 

FOR THE SPECIALIST THE TRAINING OF THE 

SPECIALIST. 



Among those who play their part in 
the larger activities of life, the "one-idea" 
man has ever been more or less the butt 
of the would-be humorist. Possibly 
The there is some reason for this, for the man 

one-idea man. who absorbs himself in a single idea 
does necessarily, and as a natural con- 
sequence, withdraw himself somewhat 
from intimate companionship with his 
fellows. The one idea becomes the cen- 
tral purpose of his life, and to it all other 
things must be subservient. 

"He who laughs last laughs best," is 
an old adage; and it is often the one-idea 
man who in the end laughs best, and at 
the expense of those who made him the 
mark for their gibes. In finance, we 
have often seen the man of one idea pro- 
gress steadily toward his goal — that of 
becoming one of the money kings of the 

127 



128 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

world. In art, we have seen the man 
who steadily made his art the great 
motif of his life outrank all his fellows. 
One-idea men have become the great 
generals of the world; the great inven- 
tors, those who have done most to as- 
sist the progress of civilization, were 
men of a single great idea and purpose. 
The great reformers of the world have 
been men of a single idea, and they have 
spent their lives nobly in and for the 
accomplishment of their single great pur- 
pose. 

In literature, the one-idea man is often 
a recluse, a student. In another chap- 
ter we have instanced the qualities 
which help to make the successful hack- 
Th writer. Almost none of these are neces- 

range of the sary to the specialist. Instead of min- 
specialist. g^ n g" with the world, he takes a little 
portion of it and observes and studies 
and analyzes that with his whole soul. 
While his range is narrow individually, 
collectively it may be of the widest. 
The specialist has his place in every 
walk of literature — but there is only one 
walk for each one of the species. The 
humorist may be just as much a special- 
ist as the student of some obscure 
branch of natural science; but it would 
be rare indeed to find the two combined. 
We have instanced the fact that the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 129 

hack-writer may hope to achieve fame, 
within rather narrow limitations. His 
is the fame that comes to the indus- 
trious and persevering writer within the 
circle of editorial sanctums, but not 
often in the eye of the great public. The 
specialist has, as a rule, a scope that is 
still more narrow. He may become 
known and appreciated by a few edi- 
tors, those of publications of a single 
class rather than to the guild as a 
whole; and through them he will be- 
come known to the limited number of 
His fame, readers who comprise their class. 

But there are some compensations. 
Where he is known, his name becomes 
a household word. He is looked up to. 
His work is looked forward to, and 
waited for, and all that he says is ac- 
cepted as authoritative. His work is 
usually well paid, and it brings him a 
certain honor and dignity wherever it 
becomes known. 

In the above we are speaking of the 
serious work of the specialist. While it 
is true, as we have said, that the hu- 
morous writer may be a specialist, it is 
not he nor his fellows whom we wish 
to consider here. 

The true specialist — the man who fol- 
lows his specialty in order that he may, 
write and inform the world upon it, is 



130 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



As a chemist. 



As an 

agricultural 

writer. 



usually a man of a scientific turn of 
mind. His specialty may be any one 
of the abstruse or natural sciences. He 
may study the stars and endeavor to 
popularize knowledge concerning them. 
He may be a chemist, and add continu- 
ally to our information regarding the 
drugs which have been given to the 
world to minister to the needs of man- 
kind; he will study their sources, and 
will continually discover in the three 
great kingdoms constituents which add 
to the known chemistry of the universe. 

He may take a less far mental reach, 
and be simplj^ an agriculturist who 
studies the laws of nature in their rela- 
tion to plant life; he observes the unfold- 
ing of bud and flower, the growth of tree 
and fruit, the germination of seeds, the 
causes which conduce to barrenness or 
fruition, and gives this knowledge 
through the agricultural journals to 
those whom it may most benefit. Per- 
haps he goes a little further, and by 
careful experimentation, by crossing 
fruit with fruit and flower with flower, 
adds to the wealth of our horticulture. 

He may sttury the minerals of the 
earth; discover their location, and the 
ways by which they may be made most 
useful to mankind. He may be a trav- 
eler, continually browsing about odd 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 131 

corners of the world, and adding to our 
knowledge of peoples, their habits and 
customs, making or correcting geog- 
raphy, or teaching one portion of the 
w^orld the value of another. 

The avenues of occupation for the 
specialist are almost without end. He 
ma}^ not be an original investigator, like 
these we have named, but instead de- 
vote his talents to summing up and 
arranging the kn owledge which has been 
gathered by others. The accurate and 
competent compiler stands among our 
most valued literary workers. He may 
be a biographical or historical writer; 
he may collect information upon almost 
any subject by careful browsing in 
libraries, and from this make either 
magazine articles or books which take 
first rank in literary^ importance; or an 
essayist who, watching the course of 
events upon the stage of the world, 
draws therefrom deductions that make 
the leader in the da} r 's newspaper or the 
finished article in to-morrow's review. 
The specialist may be, as we have 
y Re said, a humorist, who devotes his da3 x s 

specialist and sometimes his nights to conjuring 
as humorist from his brain or twisting from the facts 

and poet. f j^g experience humorous thoughts 
or situations which may be moulded 
into the comic dialogue, the illustrated 



132 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

joke, or the mirth-provoking verselet; 
or a writer of verses alone, who, with- 
out great poetic faculties, studies the. 
technique and the niceties of his art un- 
til he can turn out almost at will the 
couplet or quatrain which expresses a 
thought in the minimum of words, or 
the cold and polished sonnet, or the 
dainty vers-de-soctete which editors wel- 
come so gladly. 

The short story writer is often a spec- 
ialist, turning his entire attention to 
the art of telling stories which within 
the limit of a few thousand words will 
give the whole life history of his charac- 
ters on the one hand, or upon the other 
The specialist present a single episode in those lives in 
as a practical such masterly manner, in such vivid and 
journalist. brilliant word-coloring, that the picture 
is burned upon the brain. Writing juve- 
nile stories is a specialty which many 
have followed with immense profit and 
satisfaction. The writing of "feature 
articles" for the daily press is a specialt}^ 
and one which is growing with the rapid 
development of the syndicates. The 
writing of practical agricultural arti- 
cles, practical mechanical articles, and 
of travel articles for newspapers and 
magazines are each specialties which 
are followed by many, but which afford 
fields that are never overcrowded. It 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 133 

is perhaps even permissible to say that 
the novelist is a specialist; for it is often 
true that the novelist of to-day has been 
the literary hack or the all-round writer 
of a past decade, who, finding his tastes 
and powers developing in the direction 
of the elaborated story, has finally given 
himself wholly to that work for no 
other reason than that he has found it 
to be the thing which he can do best, 
and with most profit and satisfaction. 
Perhaps the question of profit alone 
might be the factor that determined his 
course, and were this eliminated, he 
might return to-day to the ranks of the 
hack-writer or all-round journalist. 

The specialist may minimize his work, 
if he chooses, to the last degree. We 
know specialists who are specialists on 
the one item of paint alone. They know 
The paint as a child knows his A. B. C's. 

specialist They know the bases for all paints; 
of the how the crude material is obtained; 

trade journals, how it is treated, how mixed, how han- 
dled in the factory, how put upon the 
trade, the shape in which it goes to the 
consumer, and its value. They know 
the durability of colors — or their lack 
of durability — the seasons at which 
they should be used, the method in 
which paint should be applied, the best 
brushes for certain uses. Knowing all 



134 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

these things about even so limited a sub- 
ject, they can write without end for 
journals of many classes. Their work 
is not confined, as one might think, to 
trade or technical journals, but they 
have their place in the agricultural pa- 
pers, fill space in the newspapers, do 
occasional articles for illustrated papers, 
and even break into the magazines. For 
here is one thing for writers of all class- 
es to remember: practical work, written 
by one who knows thoroughly that of 
which he writes, has the widest possible 
range. Articles of information are re- 
garded kindly by all editors. 

The course of one who would become 
a writer upon a specialty, is plain. 
First, know your subject. If yon are 
to write about mechanics, study ma- 
chinery as you would your spelling book. 
The Study it not only from the outside, but 

training of a get }^our knowledge from the ground 
specialist. tip by becoming — if you are not so al- 
ready — a practical machinist. Go to 
work in a machine shop, and learn how 
to run an engine, a lathe, an emery 
wheel, a planer. Learn the care of ma- 
chinery, how it is built, its uses, its life; 
the more competent you become per- 
sonally as a machinist, the better able 
you will be to write about machinery 
for others. Then when you are ready 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 135 

to write, select the journals of your 
especial class, and tell them anything 
you have to say upon the subject, that 
is new. 

So with agriculture. Work in the 
The ground until you are familiar with all 

agricultural the processes of nature, from seed 
specialist. time to harvest. Observe, learn some- 
thing new that is of practical value,, 
and the editors of agricultural journals 
will be glad to give } r ou a hearing. 

We might go on in this way through 
the entire list of trade and technical and 
class journals; there is not one of them 
but that affords an opening of some 
sort for the specialist. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE DESCRIPTIVE ARTICLE QUALITIES NECESSARY 

TO A DESCRIPTIVE WRITER THE WIDE FIELD 

FOR HIS WORK NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES 

USE SUCH ARTICLES SUBJECTS FOUND ON EVERY 

HAND AND IN E VERY-DAY LIF3. 



It is not at all necessary that the suc- 
cessful writer of the descriptive article 
should have a mind of that especial 
quality which is denominated as "bril- 
The liant." The careful, plodding, pains- 

descriptive taking writer in this line of work is 
writer. often the one who arrives at the truest 

comprehension of his subject, and who is 
thus enabled to lay it most truly and 
realistically before his readers. Inven- 
tive genius, such as may be required in 
the development of plot or the elabora- 
tion of the novel, might rather stand in 
the way of the descriptive writer than 
otherwise. In his effort to be brilliant 
and interesting he might err by not 
being accurate; or in the effort at devel- 
opment and elaboration, he might in- 
troduce irrelevant matter, which would 
make his article verbose and heavy. 

136 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 137 

Perhaps he should be something more 
than a mere dull plodder, but the 
principal characteristics and abilities 
demanded are only those which are 
common to any man of ordinarily good 
mind and education. True, these qual- 
ities may be and should be developed 
and refined by practice. Indeed, so they 
will be, for in every branch of the liter- 
ary art, practice perfects. 

The descriptive writer must be able to 
grasp at once the salient and interest- 
ing points of the thing which he is about 
to describe. If the thing is of large im- 
portance, this will not be so difficult; 
but then he should have the faculty of 
His selection and should be able to discard 

qualifications intuitively and apparently without ef- 
for the fort the dull and uninteresting attrib- 

worki utes of his subject. If his matter is in 

itself of slight importance, then his in- 
genuity will be taxed to select those fea- 
tures of first worth, and enlarge upon 
and make the most of them. Here the 
ability to write entertainingly upon 
little things will come into play. 

The ability to select and to depict 
tersely and vigorously the more note- 
worthy points of a subject is a first 
requisite. Next comes the power to do 
this picturesquely. But truth to what 
is, must never be sacrificed for the sake 



lessons. 



138 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

of picturesque effect. Farts, and strict 
adherence to the truth are never to be 
slighted in descriptive writing. 

An examination of any half dozen 
newspapers of the day will show that 
while one writer has been able to take a 
most commonplace subject, and invest 
it with an interest which holds the at- 
Study tention through every paragraph of his 

the newspapers article, another, having far better ma- 
for object terial to start with, has treated it in so 
commonplace a manner that the read- 
ing is a task rather than a recreation. 
In both articles one end has been at- 
tained — the information has been placed 
before the reader. But the other end, 
that of interesting the reader in his 
subject and affording him pleasure while 
gaining knowledge, has not been 
attained. 

The field for the descriptive article is 
of the widest. Every magazine, illus- 
trated or otherwise, every syndicate, 
every newspaper, the juvenile journals, 
religious journals, trade and technical 
publications are open to it in some form. 
This may "easily be proved by picking 
up at random the journals of the week 
in these different classes. The descrip- 
tive article has a prominent place in 
each and every one of them. 

The range of the descriptive article is 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



139 



The 

field for the 

descriptive 

article. 



The 

scientist as a 

descriptive 

writer. 



as wide as the field for its publication. 
The material for it may be supplied by 
agriculture, either in giving an account 
of some special culture, in writing of the 
resources and attractions of some par- 
ticular agricultural region, in describing 
improved methods of work or in re- 
counting in homely phrase the every 
day life of the average agricultural 
worker, as was done recently in an 
article entitled "A Day on the Farm." 
The field of applied mechanics furnishes 
a basis for frequent articles of this sort. 
These may be either technical articles 
for trade journals or articles written in 
a popular style for the general reader. 
We have recently seen examples of the 
latter in magazine articles describing 
the famous Krupp Gun Works, the 
manufacture of armor plates for naval 
vessels in our own country, a visit to a 
dynamite factory, etc. The above have 
been elaborately illustrated articles in 
our leading publications. 

The student of natural history will 
write descriptive articles for the purely 
scientific journals, or for publications in 
which science is popularized for the 
masses, as in Popular Science; or he 
may follow the lead of Mr. Ernest In- 
gersoll, or of the late William Hamilton 
Gibson, and clothe his subject with so 



A 



140 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

much of interest and beauty that it will 
command for itself a place, as did their 
work, in the greatest of our magazines, 
from whose pages "it will appeal to the 
general reader. 

But nature, our great mother, is the 
store house and treasure house for the 
writer in more particulars than this. 
The natural wonders of the world — 
mountains, rivers, glaciers, cascades, 
deserts, — may be treated again and a- 
gain by different writers, so only that 
new view-point a new Yiew point is secured. The Falls 
makes salable °f Niagara have perhaps been more 
matter. written about than any other of the 

natural wonders of the world. Yet 
only a little time since a young writer, 
viewing the falls for the first time, 
found himself impressed with thoughts 
regarding them which had not before 
been given to the world in print. He went 
to his room, within view and sound of 
the great masses of falling waters, 
wrote his article and found it was ac- 
cepted at once, because in itself it was 
new, though his subject was as old per- 
haps as the world. 

The polite arts and the handicrafts 
serve the purpose of the descriptive 
writer. The opening of an art gallery, 
the first night of a popular prima dona, 
a visit to the studio of a sculptor, to a 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



141 



The common 

and 

the uncommon 

within his 

field. 



Some 

examples of 

notable 

work. 



ship yard, are material for him. The 
handiwork of the potter, the taxider- 
mist, the botanical collector, all afford 
work for his pen. All great events are 
within his scope, the review of an army, 
the coronation of a king, the inaugu- 
ration of a president, may be treated 
in such a manner that they become 
more interesting than fiction. 

Pins are common things. Yet only 
the other day a well known writer put 
out a syndicate article describing their 
manufacture. Lead pencils are common, 
yet each one of us would stop to read 
an article describing the various details 
of their production — where the wood 
comes from, how the graphite is pre- 
pared and put within its case, the meth- 
ods by which they are manufactured so 
cheaply, the numbers consumed, etc. 

A great newspaper office upon elec- 
tion night, or when great events are 
happening, has more than once been a 
theme for the ready writer, and will be 
so many times again. Mr. Julian Ralph 
once did a most notable article describ- 
ing the scenes in Washington on inaug- 
uration day. Mr. Richard Harding 
Davis did an equally notable article de- 
scribing a single great street in a great 
city. Mr. Crawford, of the New York 
Herald, did a famous magazine article 



Describing 



142 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

telling how a president was elected. 
This same writer did a valuable series 
of articles describing the different de- 
partments and branches of the govern- 
ment: as the House, the Senate, the 
Supreme Court, the various Depart- 
ments, etc. 

The wheat pit in Chicago is the more 
or less direct subject of a financial arti- 
cle in hundreds of papers every day. 
Yet recently, when a corner was being 
manipulated, a writer who did not 
the Chicago touch the financial aspects of the mat- 
wheat ter, published an article which was a 
pit. most brilliant pen picture of the pit and 
the men in it, and of the methods by 
which fictitious quantities of wheat 
were bought and sold, and fortunes 
made and lost at the waving of a hand. 
Enough has been said here to show 
that there is almost no subject, great 
or small, which may not afford a motif 
for the descriptive article; but there are 
grades in this work as in all other, and 
descriptive writers will vary from the 
man or woman who does an article 
upon some commonplace theme, in a 
commonplace manner, for a common- 
place third-rate journal, to the one who 
looks for material that is new or of the 
largest value, or that may be treated 
in a new way, and then does the best 



PRACTICAL ALTHOESHIP 143 

that his literary art will permit in put- 
ting it before the public. 

Do not imagine that descriptive writ- 
ing is necessarily an inferior class of 

Ki P ,in S work. Mr. Kipling did not find it be- 

as a descriptive ,1 -, • -j. ., , i -, ... r 

W r\ier neath his dignity to do a description of 

salmon fishing oh the Columbia River; 

nor did some of our leading litterateurs 

neglect to record in descriptive articles 

of various sorts, their impressions of 

the Columbian Exhibition. 



writer. 



CHAPTER X. 



VERSE-WRITING YOUNG WRITERS INCLINE TOWARD 

POETRY AMATEURS DELUGE EDITORS WITH 

TOOR VERSES OFFERINGS GREATLY IN EXCESS 

OF DEMANDS THE MARKET LIMITED THE SORT 

OF WORK WANTED PRICES PAID. 



The advice usually given to literary 
aspirants whose inclinations turn to- 
ward the poetic form of expression, is to 
avoid writing verse. At least they are 
Some warned against it if their purpose is to 

sound advice. earn money by their pen, or to secure a 
definite place in literature. They are 
told, by both editors and experienced 
writers, that verse is a drug in the mar- 
ket. The}' will find by experience that 
comparatively few, even among the lit- 
erary journals that are free buyers of 
prose matter, will purchase verse at all. 
The bulk of that which is published is 
contributed gratuitously by young 
poets who are willing to give away 
their work for the satisfaction of seeing 
it in print. 

Editors will tell you that for every 
one poem that can possibly be made use 

144 



Editors 

discourage 

budding 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 145 

of, they receive fifty which must be re- 
turned. The majorit}^ of these are of 
course very poor stuff and are not 
worthy of publication an y where. But 
perhaps ten per cent of the whole are 
fairly good verse, as well entitled to 
poets. publicity as the average prose contribu- 

tion. Yet editors are not unwarranted 
in their honest endeavors to discourage 
the poetical aspirant, for this is the 
most difficult and unpromising of all the 
literar3 r pathwa\ r s for a beginner to 
follow. 

Still, one who has any decided talent 
in this direction, and who is capable of 
rising superior to all obstacles and dis- 
couragements, will find by a careful 
analysis of the entire situation that the 
case is not absolutely hopeless. There 
are perhaps a score of publications in the 
United States which buy poetry and 
pay for it liberally, and which are dis- 
tinct encouragers of young verse- writers 
who show any indications of genius. 
When verse is accepted, the financial 
emoluments are decidedly better than 
for even the best prose work by authors 
of equal reputation. 

Of course all know that our leading 
illustrated magazines — -Harper's, Scrib- 
ner's,The Century, Munsey's, McClure's, 
The Cosmopolitan — are buyers of verse. 



146 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Some 

publications 

that buy 

verse,, 



The rates of 
compensation. 



To these may be added The Atlantic, 
Boston; Lippincott's, Philadelphia; The 
Chautauquan, Cleveland, 0.; The Out- 
look, The Independent, and The Church- 
man, New York; and some others among 
both the secular and the religious press. 
A few dailv papers, notably the New 
York Sun, give careful consideration to 
verse, and buy at good prices such as is 
adapted to their needs. The Youth's 
Companion, Boston, is a buyer of verses 
.and jingles for children, and of poems 
that appeal both to youths and to ma- 
ture readers. The Companion, in this 
as in all other things, is among the most 
courteous and liberal of publications. 
Many of the Sunday School journals 
buy poems not necessarily of a distinct- 
ly religious type, but such as will inter- 
est young readers, and which are of a 
wholesome and uplifting character. 

As the question of compensation is 
always a pertinent one to writers, we 
may state that even those who do not 
succeed in selling their wares to the 
leading magazines, may yet expect very 
satisfactory rewards. From a memo- 
randum before us, we find that The Out- 
look paid one writer $15 for 121 lines 
of blank verse, and at another time $10 
for twenty-nine lines. It will be appar- 
ent here that not only length but quali- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 147 

ty as well is a determining factor with 
this journal, in regard to the value of 
poetical contributions. The Indepen- 
dent, for a poem containing nine four-line 
stanzas, paid $8. Lippincott's, for a 
four line stanza, $2. The Churchman, 
for 38 lines, $2.50; for a sonnet, $1.00, 
and for three four-line stanzas, $1.00. 
All except the last of these journals may 
be taken to represent about the aver- 
age in their rates of compensation for 
poetry. The Churchman seems to be 
decidedh^ below the average, and in its 
rate about on a par with the household 
and domestic magazines. The illus- 
trated magazines of course pay much 
more liberally. 

One reason why editors are so much 
inclined to discourage young verse writ- 
ers, is that they have found that the 
The sort majority do not send clear, concise, for- 

of poetry that is cible verse, and do not show a very 
great perception of rhyme or rrn'thm, 
and little of true poetic instinct and feel- 
ing. A great many half-educated people 
(not entirely those of tender years ) 
imagine that they can write poetr\^, and 
it is their effusions that flood the mails 
and discourage editors. 

In looking over the periodicals of the 
day, we find more poetry in the form of 
the sonnet than of anv other one class. 



declined. 



148 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



The 

sort that is 

accepted. 



One 

reason for 

failure. 



'Brief, 

my lord!" 



We may reasonably argue from this 
that the writer of verse who can pro- 
duce a sonnet that is worthy both in its. 
beauty and the originality of thought, 
and whose conception is not marred in 
its execution, has found one of the best 
roads that poets can take to the editor- 
ial heart. 

We find too that poems of nature, 
both in the form of the sonnet and other- 
wise, have a charm about them not 
only to the reader, but apparently to 
the editor as well. We find that most 
of these poems of nature are brief. In 
fact long poems of any sort are not 
wanted. . 

A poem may be faultless in construc- 
tion, yet if it has not in it something 
that appeals to the soul, it will hardly 
find its way into the pages of a good 
publication. Some young poets err by 
studying the art of verse-making until 
they can construct a poem that is tech- 
nically faultless, then do this without 
much regard to the thought embodied 
in their flawless lines, and wonder why 
they are not successful. 

There are two forms of verse in desue- 
tude of late years, that appear to be 
again becoming popular. These are the 
rondeau and the rondel, both musical, 
and both difficult. So long as brevity 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



149 



Household 

and juvenile 

poetry. 



What 
a newspaper 
editor says. 



is a prime factor in poetry, these cer- 
tainly should find place. 

It requires but a glance through the 
leading publications of the month, to 
show that quatrains and couplets are 
steadily in demand. 

In our household monthlies we find 
poems that touch upon the brighter 
side of the home life — verse that finds a 
responsive echo in the heart of the wife 
and mother who has few aspirations 
outside of the home. With these publi- 
cations, sentiment is more looked for 
than perfect form. 

The juvenile publications, including 
some of the Sunday School weeklies, 
use and pay well for little stories pret- 
tily told in verse and for jingles that 
may be illustrated, for very young 
readers. 

The editor of a leading newspaper 
wrote to a correspondent as follows: 
"The poetry most in demand now-a- 
days is that kind which appeals most 
directly to people who are busy. Long 
poems, no matter what the subject may 
be, are frowned upon by editors. The 
most successful poet is the one who can 
put the best thought into the smallest 
space. It would seem almost impos- 
sible for one in this day and age to 
write poetry that would be new — that 



150 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

"would touch upon some new theme of 
life. But that is what editors want, 
or rather that is what the public wants. 
The editors are mere middlemen, who 
form the connecting links between the 
producers and the consumers. Your 
own observations have probably im- 
pressed upon you the fact that the 
people in general are not given to deep 
reading. They want to be amused 
rather than instructed. If you can 
preach a sermon and arouse a laugh at 
the same time, you do well. If you 
can't do that, try to raise the laugh 
anyhow, and your reader is grateful. 
That is newspaper 'poetry.'" 

Simplicity in verse writing is a desir- 
able quality. If one would cultivate 
simplicity, the writing of verses for 
children will afford excellent practice. 
To write poems which will appeal to the 
Strive young mind is a feat toward which it is 

f° r worth while to devote one's best efforts, 

simplicity. Q ne wno i lSiS never undertaken the task 

may think it beneath him, requiring so 
little ability that the effort is realh" not 
worth while. We caution you against 
this error, for you may find the work 
beyond you rather than beneath. To 
write verses for children requires direct- 
ness, and a mastery of simple words, in 
which plain, interesting and attractive 
ideas may be expressed. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 151 

Desirable verses of this sort bring fair 
rates of compensation from a number of 
journals. The Youth's Companion, 
Juvenile poems Harper's Round Table, St. Nicholas, and 
various Sunday School publications, are 
teir value. a ]j gl a( j to examine work of this sort. 
The prices for such poems of two or 
three to five short stanzas range from 
$1.00 to $20.00 each. 

Three publications especially instanc- 
ed above like verses filled with fun and 
spirit, mainly for its boy readers, or 
something dainty, containing a bright 
thought or telling some old half-forgot- 
ten story in the history of by -gone days, 
or poems that are helpful and beautiful 
without being too much upon the re- 
ligious order. The Companion also has 
a children's page, where poems and 
jingles for the very youngest readers are 
used. 

Sometimes the criticism of editors 
more than am'thing else will help a 
young writer to determine wherein his 
Editorial work is faubw. One very young writer 

criticism, had been a somewhat favorite contribu- 
tor of verse to a certain periodical. In 
the course of time he sent a poem to the 
editor, which he felt certain would be 
accepted because it was suited to an 
especial season. But the discriminating 
editor found the lines somewhat "sing- 



152 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Suggestions 

from friendly 

editors. 



songy," and sent them back with this 
note: 

"There is really nothing out of the 
way with these verses, except that they 
seem to be a little on the machine order. 
Some of your work sounds so sincere 
that I dislike to take anything that ap- 
pears less so." 

This note taught the writer two 
things: First, that he must be more 
careful as to the quality of the work 
that he sent out; second, that the 
editor of that magazine was beginning 
to take a real interest in him and his 
work. 

Another editor returned a poem with 
this criticism: "I like these verses very 
much, but the sentiment embodied in 
them is one so often used that it de- 
tracts from the fine expression you have 
given it." This taught another lesson: 
it was that editors are not fond of 
hackneyed subjects, in verse, more than 
in other lines of liter axy work. 

A young writer who is earnest and 
who desires to succeed in his profession 
will take these hints in the kindly man- 
ner in which they are intended. 

We are told constantly, and with a 
great deal of truth, that editors are con- 
tinually looking for and hoping to see 
appear above the horizon the "new 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



153 



The editorial 

attitude toward 

new poets. 



Why 

new poets are 

frowned 

down. 



writer," who can do such work as will 
attract attention to his journal and 
supply the much needed infusion of new 
blood. No editor will deny this asser- 
tion as far as regards the storj- writer, 
the novelist, the humorist, etc., but as 
to the young poet, — a shrug of the 
shoulders will best signify- his feeling 
and belief in that direction. There is no 
branch of the literary career upon which 
one can enter where a struggle in the be- 
ginning is so assured as with the young 
poet. Editors will receive his offerings 
grudgingly, often with silent contempt, 
and be quite ready to send them home 
with a "Returned with thanks," before 
even examining the first line. 

This would not be the case if the 
would-be poets understood the work 
that they attempt. But when they 
send imperfect, weak and silly verses, 
that have neither thought nor form, 
verses that perhaps have been praised 
in the home circle or among non- 
critical friends, and keep on sending 
such day after day and week after 
week, without any evidence of improve- 
ment or attempt at improvement, 
editors can hardly be blamed for getting 
a little weary. 

Do not attempt to write verses for 
publication unless you have made some- 



154 PRACTICAL AUTHOESHJP 

thing of a stud y of the technique of 
poetry. There is no branch of literature 
which can so nearly be measured by 
metes and bounds as regards form. Im- 
perfect meters and rhymes are not al- 
lowable, even among the second rate 
publications. 

Long poems are not wanted by pub- 
lications of any sort. Magazine editors 
Long not infrequently receive long narrative 

poems are not poems, which if printed wotdd occupy 
wanted. from a half dozen to a half hundred- 

pages. But it is needless to say that 
these are not printed. It requires only 
a glance at the publications on any 
news-stand to show that the poems ac- 
cepted are, almost without exception, 
brief. And it would seem that the more 
brief the}^ are the better chances of 
editorial favor. 

No matter how well the young poet 
may do his work, no matter how con- 
scientious and careful and painstaking 
he is, he is very certain to receive re- 
Rejections peated declinations. These will be his 
must be ex- portion even more than the portion of 
pected. the story writer or other literary work- 

er, for the simple reason that editors 
receive more poetry in proportion to 
their needs, than any other work. But 
with all these discouragements, many 
new poets do get to the front continu- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 155 

ally, and the record of the last dozen 
years will show a brilliant group of 
A young singers who have been enabled 

summing to win an audience to themselves by the 
up. aid oi our magazines and other literary 

journals. What an editor wants in verse 
has been admirably stated in the fol- 
lowing quatrain: 

' 'Something sweet and tender, 
Something blithe and gay, 
That we all remember 
Till our dying day." 
Chas. A. Dana said, only a little be- 
fore his death, that the interest in poet- 
r}^ is as great as it ever was. Publishers 
of books are certainly putting out as 
much good poetry as ever. 

What the people will read, in the 
poets' column of the daily newspaper 
or in the first class magazine, is the 
pithy, bright, brief, adaptive song of 
labor and love, of hope and optimism, 
as long as there are poets to write and 
readers to read. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE TRADE JOURNAL? A PROFITABLE FIELD QUAL- 
IFICATIONS OF AN INDUSTRIAL WRITER HOW 

TO BEGIN WITH SUCH WORK LIST OF INDUS- 
TRIAL JOURNALS THAT BUY MATERIAL COR- 
RESPONDENCE FOR TRADE JOURNALS FASHION 

AND COMMERCIAL WORK. 



Trade-journals 

and 
technical work. 



Writing for the trade journals may be 
taken up either as a specialty to which 
a man may devote his entire time and 
talents, or as a side line to general liter- 
ary- work. To become a writer for 
trade journals presupposes some especial 
knowledge of mechanics, or of certain 
trades or handicrafts. As it would be 
folly for any writer, no matter how 
skilled in the technicalities of literary 
form and expression, to undertake to 
write for the agricultural press without 
at leasr a working knowledge of agri- 
culture itself, so would it be the height 
of the ludicrous for one to attempt 
writing for a journal devoted to the 
paper trade without some practical 
knowledge of the manufacture of one 
or more classes of these goods, or of 



156 



PEACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



157 



The 
ramifications of 
trade-jour- 
nalism 



channels through which they find their 
way into use, and the ways in which 
they are employed. 

This is necessarily a somewhat cir- 
cumscribed field; but workers therein en- 
joy the offsetting advantage of having 
comparatively few competitors. The 
combination of practical knowledge of 
a manufacture or a handicraft, and of a- 
bility in literary expression, is sufficient- 
ly rare to make their possessor a mark- 
ed man. 

In industrial writing, that man will 
succeed best who knows one thing thor- 
oughly. As we have elsewhere instanced, 
let a man know paint alone, as a man 
knoweth his brother, and his field will 
be wide indeed; it will comprise the 
entire list of journals devoted to the 
paint trade, the drug trade, house- 
building, interior decoration, the agri- 
cultural journals, etc. Even the daily 
newspapers will be open to him once 
in a while for practical articles upon 
paint and its uses. In addition, there 
are journals devoted to the carriage 
trades, to the manufacture of agricul- 
tural implements, architecture, etc., with 
all of which the thoroughly equipped 
writer may find place. A knowledge of 
paint presupposes a knowledge of all of 
the constituent elements of paint, of 



158 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

coloring matter, dye stuffs, etc. This 
opens up the field of the dyers'-trade 
journals, in which one may tell about 
logwood, cochineal insects, etc. 

One who contemplates writing for 
trade journals should first seriously 
consider what especial line he possesses 
the greatest practical knowledge re- 
garding. It is not well to attempt to 
be a jack-of-all- trades in this work, for 
then editors will be apt to discover that 
your knowledge of any one particular 
topic is a rather thin veneer. Throw 
yourself heart and soul into the study 
of one trade. Let that be the one con- 
cerning which you already know most, 
Write then add to this the knowledge that 

of the things other men have accumulated. When 
you know. y Qn f ee j yourself thoroughly equipped, 
competent to make a beginning, consult 
a newspaper directory and get the 
names and addresses of all the periodi- 
cals in that particular line, and of others 
that you think may have occasional or 
regular place lor such work. Then write 
a brief practical letter to the editor, tell 
him what you want to do, and as evi- 
dence of your ability to do it enclose a 
sample contribution (not too long.) Ask 
him if he can use that, and request him 
to let you know what such contributions 
are worth. Editors of technical and 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



159 



Average rats 

of 

payment. 



class journals are not overwhelmed by 
competent writers as some other peri- 
odicals are, and hence are usually alert 
to discover the men who can do the 
things that the\ r want done. 

Get a cop\ r , or better still a file of the 
journal to which you shall make your 
first offering, and stud_v its scope, in or- 
der that yon may judge its requirements. 
It is just as foolish, and just as much a 
waste of time and pains, to fire at ran- 
dom in this work as in any other. 

The rates paid b} T trade journals are 
not usually high, but they are fairly 
liberal, and considering that rejections 
are much less frequent than from other 
journals, the rewards may be said to be 
very satisfactory. The average rate of 
payment may be placed at about $3.00 
per thousand w^ords. Occasionally, 
twice this will be paid for material that 
is essentialh r new and valuable. 

A partial list of trade journals, or 
of journals that use material in line 
with the suggestions above, is here 
given, from which it may be seen that the 
field is not a restricted one. 

We also give the following as the or- 
dinary rates paid by some of these, 
for contributed matter:- 

American Agriculturist, New York, $3 per 1,000 
American Brewer, New York. 



160 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Partial list 

of 

trade journals. 



American Carpet and Upholstery Trade, Phila- 
delphia. 
American Cider Maker, New York. 
American Grocer, New York. 
American Miller, Chicago. 
American Soap Journal and Perfume Gazette, 

Chicago. 
American Soap Journal, Chicago. $3 per 1,000. 
Blacksmith and Wheelwright, New York. 
Builder and Woodworker, New York. 
Cultivator and Country Gentleman, Albany, 

$3 per 1,000. 
Decorator and Furnisher, New York, $3 50 per 

1,000. 
Domestic Engineering, Chicago. 
Drugs, Oil and Paints, Philadelphia, $3 per 1,000. 
Dyers' Trade Journal, Philadelphia, $3 per 1,000. 
Household, Boston, $3 per 1,000. 
Illustrated Carpenter and Builder, London, 

$3 per 1,000. 
Indian Rubber World, New York. 
Metal Worker, New York. 

National Wood Finisher, Dayton, $3 per 1,000. 
Oil, Paint and Varnish Trade, Chicago, $3 to $5 

per 1,000. 
Papermill and Wood Pulp News, New York. 
Painting and Decorating, New York, $3 

1,000. 
Painters' Magazine, New York, $2.60 

1,000. 
Plumber and Decorator, London, 10s. 6d 

column. 
Popular Science, New York, $3 per 1,000. 
Printer's Ink, New York. 
Railway Master Mechanic, Chicago, $3.50 per 

column . 
Rural New Yorker, New York, $3 per 1,000. 
Shoe and Leather Facts, Philadelphia. 



per 



per 



per 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 161 

Textile World, Boston. 

The China Decorator, New York. 

The Spokesman, Cincinnati, $3 per 1,000. 

The Hub, New York, $3 per column. 

Tobacco Leaf, New York. 

Varnish, Philadelphia, 30c per inch. 

Western Painter, Chicago, $3 per 1,000. 

Doubtless all these figures are subject 
to variation, depending upon the mate- 
rial offered, but these are taken from the 
cash-book of a contributor, and show 
about what may be expected. 

This list is not by any means com- 
plete, but it is sufficient to afford a 
suggestion of the many practical lines 
along which a writer may work. A 
Varied careful study of several numbers of any 

lines in trade journal to which one intends to offer 
journalism. contributions is earnestly recommended. 
It will be found that the majority of 
them do not confine themselves to a 
narrow range, but that ever}^ branch 
of the business and the industries re- 
lated to it are covered. For instance, 
a journal which deals -with the manu- 
facture of a vegetable product will not 
only use articles describing the process- 
es of manufacture and improvements in 
same, but will deal with the culture of 
the crop, field conditions at various 
seasons, methods of handling and pre- 
paring for shipment, trade conditions, 



162 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

improved machinery for manufactur- 
ing, etc. 

To the writer for the trade journal be- 
longs the work of being telegraphic or 
mail correspondent for large city dailies 
Corres- which pay especial attention to manu- 

pondence. facturing news. Among such are The 
Boston Advertiser, and The New York 
Journal of Commerce. These desire re- 
ports of such matters as the starting up 
or shutting down of great corporations, 
strikes, changes in the ownership of 
large manufacturing properties, fires, 
and noteworthy accidents. 

The trade journals always like to be 
informed regarding the starting up of 
new industries in their especial lines. 
But it should be borne in mind that all 
news and information sent to journals 
of this class must be verified. A false or 
sensational report might be of incalcul- 
able damage to the journal if printed, 
and the correspondent who sent it 
would be very certain to have no further 
standing with that editor. 

Among trade journals it must not be 
forgotten that there are many which 
Fashion writers, afford particular opportunity for the 
employment of the pens of the gentler 
sex. Among these are the fashion 
journals, which use an unlimited 
amount of material, and which as a 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 163 

rule pay contributors well . There is a 
particular reason why this field offers a 
wide market. Fashions change with 
startling rapidity and periodicity. In 
agriculture the same thing is to be done 
over in about the same way each year. 
With many trade journals the op- 
portunity for doing new work is limited 
because it is not always possible to find 
new developments or phases of the work 
to write about. But in fashions the 
changing of styles continually opens the 
whole field anew. 

To do the higher grades of work for 
these fashion journals and for the 
fashion departments of popular periodi- 
Fashion cals requires some special training. But 

journals and for anyone who has facility in doing de- 
their needs. scriptive articles, and who is located in 
any large city, a start may perhaps be 
made by securing orders from out of 
town journals for letters describing the 
openings of large dry goods and mil- 
line^ houses, and the new fabrics and 
styles shown. Sketches may accompany^ 
such articles, but these are not abso- 
lute^ necessary^. 

Any new or striking style may be 
made the basis for an article, but the 
writer must herself be one who is 
thoroughly competent to discuss styles, 
and who is "up 1 ' regarding the latest 



164 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

caprices of fashion. New colors, new 
shapes, and changes in all articles of 
wearing apparel are of interest to the 
publisher, and to the reader of fashion 
notes. Keep in mind that the majority 
of such readers, and those who give the 
closest attention to such descriptions, 
are people of moderate means. Therefore 
make your articles of as practical a 
nature as you can, and you will find 
them proportionately appreciated. 
Keep Many journals realize that these letters 

close to practi- are taken by their readers as a basis for 
cal lines. home work, and so descriptions that 
are sufficiently clear to be used as guides 
are best liked by them. Among such 
work, practical notes on dress-making, 
on remodeling old garments, and on 
home millinery are always acceptable. 
There are specialties within special- 
ties. A fashion writer ma}^ devote her- 
self to a single line: as, for instance, 
making a specialty of styles for child- 
ren. Others take up house furnishing 
and decorative art as applied to the 
home, while others devote themselves to 
novel entertainments for social gather- 
ings. Nearly all fashion journals use 
accurate descriptions of the latest fancy 
work, and toilet notes and "beauty 
talks" often command good prices. 
Allied to this work are descriptions 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 165 

of historical costumes and historical 
sketches of the origin of certain fashions, 
or articles of dress. This widens the 
field of the fashion writer into the realm 
of literature proper. 

The avenues for the sale include not 
only the fashion journals, but the var- 
ious household and domestic publica- 
tions, some of the syndicates, and 
many large newspapers which have a 
woman's department in one issue each 
week. 

Often very much valuable and inter- 
esting material may be secured b\ r culti- 
vating certain lines of acquaintance 
judiciously. For instance, the intelligent 
How head of the lace department of a large 

material may store could give many interesting facts 
be secured. regarding the delicate goods of which 
he has of course made an especial study 
for man3 r years; or the rug buyer of a 
carpet house could make a most pictur- 
esque and informing narrative. They 
could give you information regarding 
the sources from which such goods are 
procured, the processes of manufacture, 
often much of peculiar interest regard- 
ing the conditions of life among the 
people who produce them, practical 
hints as to the values of different classes 
of these goods, how the real may be 
told from the imitation, etc. 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE HUMORIST JOKE-WRITING AS A PROFESSION 

AN IMPORTANT BRANCH OF LITERARY WORK 

THE HEIGHTS AND DEPTHS OF HUMOROUS WRIT- 
ING THE PUBLICATIONS THAT USE HUMOR 

WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT THEY PAY. 



It is perhaps a long- cry from tlie poet 
and the trade journal writer to the 
writer of humorous skits, but in one 
not unimportant respect the poet and 
y^g the humorist are certainly alike. Both 

humorist is the "sweetsinger" and the "funnyman" 
born, not are born, not made. Spontaneous 
made, humor is a gift that must be inherent in 

one as is the gift of song. Like the lat- 
ter, the humorous quality in one's men- 
tal organization will almost invariably 
be apparent early in life. The boy in 
this is father to the man. The wit of 
the school may quite possibly become 
the humorous paragrapher or the writer 
of comic verses. 

Not always will the schoolb oy humor- 
ist develop thus, but if we hark back 
from the developed humorist, we are 
very apt to find his embryo in the lad. 



166 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 167 

Environment will have much to do 
with this development, as upon that 
largely- rests the determination of the 
character. The grim responsibilities of 
life may be in such contrast to the care- 
free days of youth, that both the sense 
and the expression of humor become 
subdued. 

But if the environment is favorable, 
the native sense of humor will be devel- 
oped. The boy will either achieve a 
reputation as a wit and a ready after- 
dinner speaker, or, if his tastes turn to- 
Environment ward literary pathways, he will be apt 
and to give his talents to the service of 

practice. those journals whose mission it is to 

cheer and brighten with humor the 
pathway of life. And the more jokes he 
makes — and puts down in ink or immor- 
talizes in type — the more he will be able 
to make, and the better, brighter and 
more pointed will they become. 

The more completely a man is equipped 
for work in any line, the better will he 
succeed. Joke-writing may not seem at 
first glance to be a very exalted branch 
of literary work. It would seem that 
anyone can do this provided he be 
equipped with the one necessary element 
— the sense of humor. Yet the greater 
the command of language, the greater 
the ability to express one's self tersely 



Some 

famous "funny 

men." 



168 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

and grammatically, and the better 
scholar and all-round encyclopedia of 
information one is, the greater are his 
chances for reaching the top of the 
ladder. 

The "funny man" may be either a 
high or a low comedian. All sorts and 
conditions of fun are demanded by an 
omnivorous reading public. Few in any 
generation will reach the brilliant 
heights attained by Mark Twain and 
Stockton. Coupled with their inexhaus- 
tible fund of humor are the most liberal 
literary attainments. Aside from the 
humorous principle, their work is along 
the highest levels. Upon a somewhat 
less elevated plane we have Bill N}^e, 
Bob Burdette, and others of that class. 
The lower we come upon the rounds of 
the ladder of fame, as upon all others, the 
more companions will we find. At the 
top alone is there any danger that one 
will be lonesome. 

In the next lower rank we find the 
paragraphers and writers of humorous 
skits. While these may be named by 
the dozens, there are after all onlj^ three 
01 four who have done work so very 
good that their names have become 
universally known. But it is here that 
the greatest field and opportunity is for 
the beginner. Aside from the four or 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



169 



successful hu- 
morist, 



Illustrated 



jokes. 



five humorous journals of established 
and national reputation, we have publi- 
cations of many classes that use this 
sort of humorous matter. Harper's 
Magazine for a long time had a depart- 
ment devoted entirely to short jokes. 
This has now evolved into a depart- 
ment usually containing one com- 
medietta of two or three pages. John 
Kendricks Bangs is the favorite writer 
of these, and his work may be fairly 
taken as an example of what is most 
acceptable in this line. Others of the 
high class magazines have humorous 
departments, in which subtle and re- 
fined jokes, dainty persiflage, and airy 
fancies expressed in short verse, find 
place. 

The Sunday editions of the metropoli- 
tan papers usually contain one page 
given up to cartoons and humorous 
matter. For these, jokes that can be 
illustrated, and dialogues of two or 
three short paragraphs are chiefly 
wanted. This material is not of as re- 
fined a sort as that used for the maga- 
zines. There is more horse-play, more 
working over of old ideas, and a lower 
literary standard. 

The lowest form of wit tolerated by 
any publication, is the pun. We would 
not advise beginners in this line of 



170 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

work to experiment with it, however, 
as editors are not often kindry disposed 
toward it. The pun,however,may some- 
Avoid puns. times be used to build upon, provided 
the would-be humorist has the insight 
and depth of mind to not undertake to 
make the pun itself the joke, but merely 
the basis for the joke. 

Among the forms of humor which the 
would-be "funny man" may experiment 
with are the foibles and misdemeanors 
of fashionable society; the trials and 
adventures of the tipsy man; the sagaci- 
ty of the tramp in avoiding labor, the 
absurdities of the colored brother, the 
Subjects mishaps of the countryman in the 

for the humor- metropolis, the errors of foreigners, and 
is*- the woes of authors who cannot sell 

their manuscripts. In the latter case it 
often happens that "the funiij^ man" 
must make a virtue of necessity, and 
coin, through the medium of the humor- 
ous paragraph, his own sad experiences 
of untoward fates. 

A rather curious market for humor- 
ous work, and one that perhaps would 
not be thought of by many, is found 
among the makers of popular patent 
medicines. These issue almanacs in 
which the virtues of their nostrums are 
sandwiched between jokes and anec- 
dotes. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 171 

As to the compensation for humor- 
ous work, that, like the compensation 
for all other sorts of literature, varies 
so widely that it is almost impossible 
to establish an average or make any 
definite statement. In this, as in some 
other cases, the reputation of the writer 
counts for almost as much as that 
which is written. We might state, how- 
ever, that for the best of the comic 
weeklies, such as Judge, Puck, and Life, 
from one to three dollars are paid for 
jokes of onljr a couple of sentences. 
How Short jokes bring more in proportion 

humor than long ones. A joke prolonged into 

pays. several scenes may bring but a half 

more than the shorter ones. Sugges- 
tions for cartoons, especially for good 
ones during a heated political cam- 
paign, are paid for most liberally. This 
is particularly true if accompanied by 
even the roughest sort of a sketch which 
will convey the author's idea or con- 
ception of his subject. Short, very 
short, humorous stories are well paid 
for. Ten to fifteen dollars is not an 
unusual price for one of not more than 
500 words. It must have point, how- 
ever, and be clearly and concisely ex- 
pressed. Some of the foreign humorous 
journals, such as Le Journal Avnusant, 
and Fleiegende Blatter, contain excellent 



172 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

stuff which when translated is appre- 
ciated by both American editors and 
American readers. 

In offering humorous work for pub- 
lication it is well to observe some 
system. Send in }^our jokes in batches 
of a half dozen or more at once. Type- 
write each separately on a slip of paper, 
having your slips of uniform size. Have 
your name and address on each slip. 
Enclose a return stamped envelope. 
The editor then can select those which 
he cares to retain and send the others 
back to you without much trouble. 

The great mass of the material used 
by our humorous journals is of an ex- 
ceedingly light character— squibs, con- 
a ^ U JLuf «f versation jokes, verselets and such tri- 
fles. The great English humorous jour- 
nal, Punch, built up its circulation and 
influence largely by means of an entire- 
ly different class of work — social, satir- 
ical or political serials — such as Mrs. 
Caudle's Curtain Lectures, and The 
Book of Snobs. 

If a professional humorist will work 
hard at his trade, as if he were a wood 
saw3 r er, confining himself to his desk 
until he has ground out a daily stint of 
ten to forty or fifty jokes per day, he 
may expect to receive an income that 
will put to blush some workers along 



examples of 
humor. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



173 



The 
'funny man" 
must work 

hard. 



The 
construction 

of 

humorous para 

graphs. 



more elevated lines. A competent, in- 
dustrious, professional joker may earn 
from $40 to $80 per week. But to do 
this he must grind very steadily and 
keep in touch with pretty nearly all 
the journals of the country, that use 
such matter. 

The best illustrations of what editors 
of the humorous journals desire may 
be found by a perusal of their own 
columns. further than this it is al- 
most useless to offer suggestions. Yet 
to show how ideas come and take form, 
and result in the humorous paragraph 
having its being, we may offer the fol- 
lowing: 

The writer intent upon finding ma- 
terial for his morning's work at para- 
graphing, is passing through a street 
where some laborers are employed pre- 
paring some water mains. He hears 
the foreman order half the gang to 
come up out of the ditch, and aid those 
above to lower some pipe. Immedi- 
ately an idea begins to crystallize. It 
may pass through various transitions 
and phases of existence, before it finally 
takes form. The final result may be 
something like this: — 

Boss: How many ab' yees are down there? 
Voice from below: T'ree. 
Boss : Half of yees lower yer'selves up and 
help Moike wid de poipe. 



174 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Another 

example. 



Cultivate 

the faculty of 

observation. 



Occasionally an overheard conversa- 
tion will give a paragrapher exactly 
what he needs, and in just the form in 
which it can be used to most advant- 
age. The following appeared under a 
sketch in one of our leading comic jour- 
nals, and the paragrapher actually 
heard it told at the expense of a lisp- 
ing friend: 

Mrs. Benther (at a suppressed scream in 
the adjoining room) : What's the matter? 

Cholly (who has great presence of mind in 
spite of his lisp): It wat'h a mouth and it 
fwightened Mith Hilda. 

Mrs. Benther: I thought it had something 
to do with a mouth ! Don't let it happen again, 
please. 

This may not seem to the reader who 
analyzes it carefully, as very brilliant 
wit, yet these two paragraphs had a 
commercial value of just $3.50, and 
the time occupied in their composition 
was probably hardly worth taking into 
account. 

One intent upon the business of par- 
agraphing, must cultivate the faculty 
of seeing the humor of a situation or 
an instant, and of having the imagina- 
tion to supply the missing details. As 
we have said in the chapter on Short 
Stor\ r Writing, the true story is hardly 
ever the available one for publication. 
So the best anecdotes are those of 



Timeliness 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 175 

things that almost happen. The funni- 
est stories are those that partially oc- 
curred. It is the part of creative humor 
to supply the lacking elements, the 
missing details. 

Timeliness in humorous work, is an 
element no more to be lost sight of 
than in the work of the special writer. 
Let the paragraph but read pat with the 
topic of the hour, be that Br3 r an and 
in humor. 16 to 1, embalmed beef and our sol- 
diers in Cuba, or Aguinaldo and his 
army of naked Pagal warriors, and 
its chances of acceptance are doubled. 
The political situation of the day or 
the hour, whatever it may be, is al- 
ways a basis for catchy, effective par- 
agraphs that are always in demand. 

Truth, Life, Puck and Judge buy the 
highest class of Paragraphic humor. 
The Harper publications, The Century, 
and Scribner's use humorous para- 
graphs to some extent. Other New 
Journals York publications that buy are Vogue, 
that buy humor. Vanity Fair, Town Topics, and Dem- 
orest's Monthly. The Sunday editions 
of the New York World, Herald, Sun 
and Journal require paragraphs in boun- 
tiful profusion, as do many large dailies 
such as The Detroit Free Press, Pitts- 
burg Bulletin, and New Orleans Times- 
Democrat. 



176 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

One may meet with discouragements 
from editors in this line of work, as in 
An old all others. But if one really intends to 

humorist's be a professional humorist or para- 
advice, grapher, it will be well to have in mind 
the advice given by an old hand at the 
trade: "Keep 'em going, keep 'em going, 
they'll sell somewhere before the paper 
wears out." 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE AGRICULTURAL PRESS GOOD TRAINING GROUND 

FOR NEW WRITERS BRANCHES OF WORK AL- 
LIED TO AGRICULTURE PRACTICAL WOTtK AT A 

PREMIUM PAKTIAL LIST OF AGRICULTURAL 

JOURNALS. 



There is no better field for the beginner 
in literature than with the agricultural 

A good field press. The agricultural journals of our 
for country are ably edited, are of a plain 

beginners. an( J practical nature, and the better 
ones among them have a scope that 
affords the writer opportunity to exer- 
cise his skill along a variety of lines. 
At first thought, one who may con- 
template trying his fortune as a writer 
in this field will consider that the only 
work it is worth while to submit must 
be along agricultural lines, or pertain- 

Sub-heads ^ n S *° agriculture's related industries, 
of agricultural horticulture, floriculture, etc. Yet a 

journalism. glance at some of our leading agricul- 
tural publications will show how far 
is this from the truth. Inmost of these 
journals are various departments, and 
the ground covered includes everything 

177 









178 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

relating to the theory and practice of 
agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, 
the live stock industries, the dairy, 
poultry, animal pets, out-of-door life, 
the home in its various departments, 
practical articles by and for the house- 
wife, material to instruct and amuse 
the children, articles of information of 
every sort, anecdotes and bits of travel, 
etc., etc. 

As an example of the best type of the 
agricultural journal, yet without wish- 
ing to make any invidious distinctions, 
we will briefly analyze The American 
Agriculturist. Although this reliable 
old publication is devoted especially to 
the dissemination of agricultural in- 
formation, it properly may be called a 
One of the magazine of general literature for the 
best rural home. Its first interest, of course, 

is to maintain well the departments de- 
voted to practical agriculture. The 
stock raiser, the fruit grower, the mar- 
ket gardener, the rancher of the wide 
plains, the New England hill farmer, 
the cotton planter and the sugar grower 
of the south, all find within its pages 
material of special application to their 
respective needs. Writers who journey 
about and who have some knowledge 
of agriculture, so that they are able to 
write intelligent! v regarding matters 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 179 

connected therewith which come under 
their observation, will often chance up- 
on curious practices, special cultures, 
new agricultural undertakings, etc., 
which are excellent material for this 
publication. Agricultural education and 
accounts of educational schools are 
What it uses matters to which it gives attention. 
Illustrated, descriptive articles, prac- 
tical hints and suggestions, bits of in- 
formation, whether of two lines' 
length or filling a column, meet with 
ready acceptance, and are paid for 
liberally and promptly. 

The American Agriculturist issues five 
editions, each one of which is devoted to 
the especial needs and interests of a cer- 
tain section of the country. One deals 
mainly with the agriculture of New Eng- 
land, another with the Central West, an- 
other with the Pacific Coast, etc. Some 
of the contributed articles are used in 
all these editions, while others which 
are applicable only to one section ap- 
pear in the single edition to which 
especially adapted. With its wide 
field, it would be almost impossible to 
write anything at all applicable to the 
agriculture or to the rural homes of the 
United States which would not be in 
line with its needs. 

Passing from its agricultural depart- 



180 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Department 
Work. 



Send plain 

and practical 

work. 



The field 

for agricultural 

work. 



merits to those of more intimate con- 
nection with the fireside and the home, 
we find pages headed "Evening at 
Home," ' 'Mothers and Daughters," 
and u Our Young Folks." In these are 
used short and continued stories, al- 
ways of a thoroughly wholesome tone, 
and which appear to be specially ac- 
ceptable if touching upon the better as- 
pects of agricultural life. In these de- 
partments historical, biographical, and 
descriptive short articles are also used, 
as well as articles upon matters of in- 
terest to the household, upon needle- 
work and other handicrafts that may 
be followed in the home, upon home 
culture, the care of children, etc. 

In writing for the agricultural press, 
the first requisite is to have something 
practical to say; the second, to be able 
to say it plainty, tersely and gram- 
matically. Fine writing, and great liter- 
ary skill are not requisites. 

Any manual containing classified lists 
of journals will show a large number 
of publications of this sort with which 
an author may work with pleasure and 
profit. But aside from strictly agricul- 
tural journals there are many others 
which use agricultural and related arti- 
cles. Among these are some of the re- 
ligious and household journals, and 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



181 



A'suggestion for 
contributors. 



A variety 
of worK de- 
manded. 



the weekly editions of some of the met- 
ropolitan dailies. 

The very best suggestion that we can 
give an intending contributor, to enable 
him to submit the sort of material that 
is needed, is to quote from a personal 
letter written by the editor of The 
Farm Journal, Philadelphia. He says: 
"The best plan is to look over the paper, 
note the different department headings, 
and furnish some bright, spicy, useful 
articles, about the same length as you 
see under these headings." 

There is as great diversity among 
these publications as among those of 
any other class. Some demand short, 
pithy articles only, others will use long 
and exhaustive contributions upon 
special subjects. Some confine them- 
selves closely to agricultural lines, 
others range over the entire field of lit- 
erature. So that it is quite as neces- 
sary here as elsewmere, that a writer 
should be familiar with the journal to 
which he offers his w r ares. 

Following is a partial list of the 
better journals devoted to agriculture 
and its related interests, with a brief 
statement of their needs in the way of 
material; but it should be borne in 
mind, as above stated, that many pub- 
lications of other classes also use such 
contributions: 



182 PKACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

Amateur Gardening, Springfield, 
Mass., an illustrated monthly using 
short articles, not exceeding two thous- 
and words, on gardening, floriculture 
and fruit growing. 

Farm, Field and Fireside, Chicago, 

is a weekly agricultural journal, con- 

A partial list taining the usual departments. Its 

of agricultural field is mainly that of the North west, 

journals so material offered should be specially 

in line with the needs of that section. 

How to Grow Flowers, Springfield, 
O., is a monthly devoted strictly to 
floriculture, so far as its practical work 
is concerned. But it also uses stories 
and poems which should at least touch 
upon some aspect of floriculture or 
floral life. 

The American Agriculturist, principal 
office, Springfield, Mass., a weekly pub- 
lication, uses practical articles on agri- 
culture, horticulture, and the household. 
As a rule these contributions should 
not exceed one thousand words, and 
even shorter articles are more accept- 
able. Considerable attention is given 
to domestic matters, and it uses some 
fiction both for children and adults. 

The Agricultural Epitomist, Indian- 
apolis, Ind., a monthly, uses short, 
crisp articles pertaining to practical 
agriculture and its related branches, 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 183 

agricultural essays, and travel and de- 
scriptive articles. Contains also a 
household department, using the gen- 
eral domestic miscellany. Contribu- 
tions should not exceed one thousand 
to fifteen hundred words. 

The American Florist, Chicago, a 
weekly devoted mainly to the commer- 
cial aspects of floriculture. Circulates 
largely among florists, and articles to 
be acceptable must contain information 
of use to such readers. 

The Country Gentleman, Albany, N. 
Y.,is a 20-page weekly, devoted wholly 
to the practical side of agriculture. 
Continuation Articles and correspondence regarding 
of list. crops, the season and the conditions of 

agriculture in various sections are used. 
Articles should not exceed three col- 
umns — about twenty four hundred 
words — and shorter ones meet with 
readier acceptance. 

The Farm and Fireside (Springfield, 
0.,) is a semi-monthly journal of 16 to 
24 pages, devoted about equally to 
practical matter about the farm and to 
fiction and miscellany for the household. 
Agricultural and floral articles should 
be brief and pointed, not exceeding five 
hundred words. The fiction may be 
either for juvenile or adult readers. 

The Farm and Home (Springfield, 



184 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

Mass., and Chicago,) is a semi-monthly 
journal using short articles of a practi- 
cal nature that relate either to the farm 
or household. Short stories for the 
little folks, and a serial for older readers 
help make up the contents. 

The Maine Farmer (Augusta,) the 
State publica- Ohio Farmer (Cleveland,) the Indiana 
tions. Farmer (Indianapolis,) The Michigan 

Farmer (Detroit,) the Nebraska Farmer 
(Lincoln,) and others, are journals de- 
voted mainly to the agriculture of in- 
dividual states or of certain sections. 
Their needs are consequently somewhat 
narrower and more limited than those 
of the journals previously named. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



JUVENILE WORK SOMETIMES CONSIDERED AS GOOD 

PRACTICE TALENT REQUIRED TO PRODUCE 

GOOD WORK LEADING JUVENILE PUBLICATIONS 

THE CLASS OF MATERIAL USED BY THEM 

OTHER FIELDS FOR JUVENILE WORK LIST OF 

PUBLICATIONS. 



Beginners in literary work are often 
advised to write for children. This ad- 
vice is sometimes good, and sometimes 
it is not. It cannot properly be consid- 
ered that writing for children is a direct 
preparatory- step toward writing for 
adults. There are some who have fol- 
About lowed this advice to their profit, and 

writing for have found that they possess a happy 
children. faculty of writing in a pleasing, simple 

way that attracts young readers. 
But we do not think that it will often 
be found that writers who have started 
in this work have used it as a stepping 
stone toward other forms of literary 
endeavor. Rather, if they have been 
successful in writing for children at the 
outset they have probably kept on doing 
that in preference to expeiimenting 

185 



188 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

along other paths of literary endeavor. 

It can hardly be said that the writing 
of juvenile literature requires less ability, 
or less training in literal work, and so 
should be taken up by the novice who 
is not competent for greater things. 
Such successes as were made by Miss 
Extremes Alcott in "Little Women," and by Mrs. 
of juvenile Burnett in "Little Lord Fauntleroy," 
work. certainly place one high in the scale of 

ability. And Mr. Kipling's Jungle Stor- 
ies, which are probably the best things 
(in point of literary^ quality) for young 
readers that any writer of recent years 
has given us, are the work of a literary 
master, who has directed his best pow- 
ers to the entertainment of } 7 ouths. 

If we go to the other extreme of 
juvenile work, and take the little stories 
and sketches that appear in our domes- 
tic and religious publications, we will 
probably find that they are just as well 
done and have demanded just as much 
effort and literary skill, as other work 
in publications of the same character. 

When we consider that the American 
boy and girl are as a rule well-educated, 
bright and intellectual, and that there 
are many millions of them, it appeals to 
us as a somewhat singular fact that we 
have comparatively few periodicals dis- 
tinctlv devoted to their interests. We 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 187 

are not now considering the publications 
for little children, but those which are 
adapted to the wants of young people 
of twelve or thirteen years. These may 
almost be numbered on the fingers of 
one hand, and as a consequence of this 
limited market, this field is a somewhat 
The field restricted one. Yet it is not quite so 

not a narrow narrow as appears at first glance, for 
one. we must include in it also a large num- 

ber of religious, domestic and other pub- 
lications which use juvenile matter. 
Some of the Sunday School papers also 
use matter of the highest grade, not dis- 
tinctively religious, for young readers. 
To gain a clear and comprehensive 
idea of what is most desired in juvenile 
work, a writer should take the three 
leading journals of that class, The 
Youth's Companion, St. Nicholas, and 
Harper's Round Table, and analyze their 
contents. Without doubt these three 
journals glean the cream of all juvenile 
work offered for the delectation of Young 
America. Anything that is acceptable 
to these should be acceptable to the 
other publications that use juvenile mat- 
ter; so if one can write up to their stan- 
dard, they need hardly fail to find a mar- 
ket somewhere. 

St. Nicholas, and Harper's Round 
Table use serials. The Youth's Com- 



188 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

panion is not favorably disposed toward 
such, unless they should be short serials, 
running through from two to five issues. 
The Youth's Companion uses no fairy 
stories. St. Nicholas does not object to 

What them, on account of being fairy stories, 

some journals provided their quality is of the first class. 

want. Articles of information for young readers 

are wanted by all these journals. Har- 
per's Round Table is more particularly 
a magazine for boys and so has an es- 
pecial liking for stories of adventure. 

Other juvenile journals which deserve 
honorable mention are Golden Days, 
Philadelphia, and the Sunday edition of 
The Philadelphia Times, which has an 
excellent Boys' and Girls' Department. 
The David C. Cook Co., Chicago, pub- 
lish a number of papers for children and 
young people, and are large and liberal 
buyers of material of the class that may 
properly be offered to Sunday School 
journals of the highest grade. 

Some writers who might do acceptable 
work in this line make the mistake of 
writing matter adapted to the needs of 
children, in a way that renders it most 
unattractive. The plainer and more di- 
rect the manner is in this work, the more 
quickly will recognition be gained. 

No better general survey of the field 
of Juvenile Literature can be had, than 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 189 

is contained in an article upon that sub- 
ject, contributed to "The Editor" mag- 
azine for its issue of October, 1898. So 
concisely is the information set forth 
regarding publications of this class, and 
so good are the suggestions and illus- 
trations given, that we prefer to repro- 
duce the article almost in its entirety, 
even though there is some slight repeti- 
tion of that which has already been said. 

It is a singular fact that we have very 
few periodicals distincth 7 juvenile. The 
first- class magazines and papers of this 
sort may be almost numbered on the 
A review fingers of one hand, and this field of lit- 

of the juvenile erature at a first glance seems a re- 
field, stricted one. However, it is not so 
narrow as it appears when we take into 
consideration the large number of reli- 
gious and household papers which use 
juvenile matter, and the amount of such 
manuscript required by Sunday School 
papers. 

The character of the few magazines 
distinctly juvenile, is so well known that 
it seems unnecessary to refer to them at 
great length. 

Of these, St. Nicholas perhaps holds 
the highest rank. The Januarj- number 
of this year is a most excellent one, and 
may be taken as a criterion of what this 
magazine desires in the way ofmaterial. 
There is the usual number of serial stor- 
ies furnished by writers noted for pro- 
ducing the best work of this kind. One 
of Mr. Kipling's "Just So" stories ap- 



190 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

pears in this issue, which is also rich in 
verse, there being two long poems of 
two or three pages each, as well as 
shorter ones. There is also a delightful 
giant story and a Christ-play. But the 
articles of most interest to the general 
writer are these: First, a paper called 
"A Bird Store-House/' giving an ac- 
count of the California wood-pecker's 
Suggestions strange habit of hiding food for winter 
for use. The article is not long, and the in- 

juvenHe work. formation is given in an interesting 
manner. Any one who has made a 
study of birds, either from nature or from 
books, and can write articles suitable for 
children, will find little difficulty in dis- 
posing of them. The interest in our feath- 
ered friends is steadily increasing, and I 
recently saw a statement in a local 
newspaper that more books on birds 
were published during the last year than 
ever before in the history of the United 
States. 

Another paper of interest to writers 
is one called Reasoning Out a Metrop- 
olis. This comes under the head of the 
article of information. It is not too 
long, and though rather solid reading 
for children, the knowledge imparted is 
put in an interesting shape. This article 
is suggestive in this way: The article of 
information is used by almost every 
magazine and paper that requires juve- 
nile matter. These articles vary greatly 
in length. Anywhere from two 
or three paragraphs to five hundred 
or six hundred words seems to 



of articles of 
information 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 191 

be the length most in demand by 
the Sunday School periodicals, the 
household, the religious and secular 
family papers, while St. Nicholas, The 
Youth's Companion, Harper's Round 
Table and Golden Days use articles of 
greater length. An article of this kind, 
as I have intimated, must not be long, 
and it must be written in an interesting 
way. The subjects vary as much as the 
length. This year's volume of Harper's 
Round Table shows some fine examples 
of this sort of article, among them be- 
ing a paper on "Seaweed and Amber," 
xam P ,es P and one on "The Romance of The South 
Seas," both valuable for their informa- 
tion and entertaining in their way of 
imparting it. In Golden Daj-s, I once 
saw an article on "Glass in Ancient 
Times," while the Sunday School papers 
show a great variety in this line. I 
have seen in these periodicals articles 
entitled "Oriental Churning," "A Kla- 
math Baby- Cradle," "A Wonderful 
Clock," "How Paper Money is made," 
"A Banana Story." These titles merely 
hint at the wide range of subjects. Some 
of these articles are copied from other 
periodicals; a few are written to cuts; 
many of them are original contributions. 
Short comprehensive articles of this 
class will find ready acceptance with 
both Sunda} r School and other juvenile 
publications. 

To return to St. Nicholas: in the Jan- 
uar}" number appear two little sketches, 
so brief that they cannot be called stor- 



192 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

ies, entitled "Unspoken Sympathy" and 
"The Parrot's Resolution." These are 
simply incidents, the one illustrating the 
good manners born of a kind heart, the 
other the contagiousness of a bad ex- 
ample. They are told in a bright, 
story-like way, without preach- 
ing. I mention these because similar 
articles are in demand by other periodi- 
cals more accessible to the average wri- 
ter than St. Nicholas. The Sunday 
School papers are glad to obtain such 
hints as relate to behavior at school and 
in the home, especially when they are 
put in attractive shape. 

The current (September) issue of St. 
Nicholas, like the magazines for adult 
writers, devotes a part of its space to 
war material. Two articles of this sort 
Examples of are "The Voyage of the Oregon," and 
miscellaneous "The Gun Foundry at Washington, D. 
material. C." It will thus be seen that timeliness 

is an element which enters into the mak- 
ing of even the juvenile periodical. 
There is a large amount of verse in this 
number — poems, long and short, most 
of them illustrated, and jingles. Among 
the stories, there are a fairy tale, "The 
Prince of The Toadstool City," a puzzle 
story, and a story of adventure, "A 
Brush With Malay Pirates." "Photo- 
graphy: Its Marvels," and "Some Vaga- 
bond Words," are the titles of two arti- 
cles of information. 

When Harper's Round Table became 
a monthly, it appeared to become dis- 
tinctively a boy's magazine. Besides 



PRACTICAL ALTHOESHIP 193 

the serials by well-known writers and 
the articles of information to which I 
have alluded, the Round Table uses in 
each issue a number of short stories. 
Many of these are tales of adventure on 
sea or land, such as are dear to the 
hearts of boys of all generations. Stir- 
ring stories, articles of information, and 
descriptive articles dealing with travel, 
Articles sports, occupations and other subjects 

of interest to of interest to boys, are in demand for 
boys. this publication. The September Round 

Table contains articles entitled, "The 
Snipe, and Snipe-Shooting," "The Hin- 
doo Game of Tether-Ball,'' "An Episode 
of the War of 1870-71," "The Latest 
Explorer of Asia," a reminiscence of 
Dewey's boyhood, called "The Boy is 
Father to the Man," a golf story, and 
much other good matter of interest to 
boys. 

Golden Days differs from the Round 
Table in that it is a journal for both 
boys and girls. While most of the ser- 
ials appeal principally to the boyish 
love of adventure, there are some of 
special interest to girls. The short 
stories include quiet stories of home 
life as well as the more exciting narra- 
tives which depend upon incident for 
their entertainment. The articles of 
information are for young people of 
both sexes. This paper uses some verse 
suitable for youthful readers. 

The Youth's Companion, strictly 
speaking, is not a juvenile publication, 
but a paper for young people. It has, 



194 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

however, a children's page for which lit- 
tle poems and jingles are in demand, as 
well as stories of interest to young chil- 
dren. These tales vary from five hundred 
to eight or nine hundred words in length, 
and deal with incidents of school-life or 
play or the doings of pets. Little poems 
and stories suitable for special seasons 
or days, such as Easter, Christmas, 
Arbor Day, Thanksgiving Day, etc., 
often appear on this page. It is per- 
haps unnecessary to say that the ma- 
terial used by this periodical is not only 
wholesome in tone, but of the highest 
literary excellence. 

Little Folks, is the name of a com- 
parative! y new candidate for childish 
favor. The first number appeared in 
. .. November of last year, and if this mag- 
Anew juvenile. azine for yotmgest waders and little 

listeners fulfills the promise of its early 
issues, it bids fair to one day become 
for 3^oung children what St. Nicholas 
is for older ones. Its appearance is 
most attractive. The type is excellent; 
the illustrations are numerous and 
beautiful. Cuts that were old ten years 
ago do not appear in this magazine. 
The stories are somewhat longer than 
usually appear in publications of this 
class, and are bright and interesting, 
for they are free from that ultra-baby- 
ishness which is almost an insult to the 
child's intelligence. Four or five short 
poems appear in each number, as well 
as little nature talks, and natural his- 
tory articles. These, with some feat- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 195 

ures new to most publications of this 
character, go to make up an ideal mag- 
azine for youngest readers. Manu- 
scripts should be addressed to the Edi- 
tors of Little Folks, Warner, N. H. 

The Favorite, Springfield, Mass,, is 
a magazine for school and home. Its 
special line is nature study and litera- 
ture, although it uses some stories a- 
A magazine dapted to children from six to nine 
for school and years of age. Eight hundred words is 
home. the length preferred by the editors for 

articles. They require simple language, 
short sentences and paragraphs, and 
desire that little description and much 
action shall be introduced. Several 
poems appear in each number. These 
are in keeping with the general charac- 
ter of the magazine: they are poems of 
nature. 

Most of the family papers, both re- 
ligious and secular, as well as the house- 
hold publications, have a children's de- 
partment. The Outlook devotes two 
pages to the little people. For these 
are required little articles of informa- 
tion. Not long ago I noticed one of 
these called, "Straw and What is Made 
of It." This department also uses sto- 
ries of child-life, little sketches, poems, 
and incidents of animal life. Indeed, 
most periodicals that use juvenile mat- 
ter, publish these little animal stories. 
It is well, therefore, to keep an eye on 
the family cat, and to be not entirely 
oblivious to the performances of Fido, 
as they may be turned into cop\ r . 



196 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

The Churchman, New York, has an 
attractive children's department. It 
devotes several pages to stories, which 
are illustrated, and poems. Sometimes 
an article of information, expressed in 
a sto^-like way, and ilkistrated, is 
used. Such an one is "A Visit to the 
Quarries." 

Other religious family papers which 
use material for children are: The Con- 
gregationalist, The Advance, The Inte- 
rior, The Evangelist, The New York 
Observer; and occasionally The Living 
Church, The Epworth Herald, and The 
Christian Endeavor World also require 
Juvenile brief articles and stories for young folks, 

work for family Eight hundred words seems to be the 
journals. maximum length of stories desired by 

most of these publications. These sto- 
ries should convey lessons in manners 
and morals; or they may be of a relig- 
ious trend. 

The household publications and sec- 
ular family papers use some stories 
similar to those required by the relig- 
ious papers: that is, those which set 
forth good manners and morals without 
preaching. Incidents of school-life and 
of play, incidents that teach kindness 
to our animal friends, and incidents 
which show what a child's relations 
should be to parents, to teachers, bro- 
thers and sisters, the aged, to school- 
mates, are some of those which may be 
used. Fairy tales are published 63^ a 
number of these household and family 
papers. I have seen these in the Home 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 197 

Monthly, of Pittsburgh, The Ladies' 
Home Journal, Woman's Home Com- 
panion, and The Ladies' World. The 
Home Magazine, of Washington, The 
Home Queen, The Household, and The 
Housekeeper, all have departments for 
children. The stories vary in length 
from five hundred to fifteen hundred 
or two thousand words. Such, papers 
as The Ladies' Home Journal, Woman's 
Home Companion, and The Ladies' 
World devote more space to juvenile 
matter, than The Household or The 
Housekeeper can spare. Little poems 
and brief articles are also used by most 
of these publications. The Ladies' 
Home Journal does not seem to use 
What children's stories and poems every 

certain journals month. The September number shows 
use. no children's page, while that of July 

has a bit of verse, a short storjr and a 
story article called "The Story of a Bit 
of Coal." The Woman's Home Com- 
panion, which has printed stories for 
quite young children, is now publishing 
a stirring serial by Mr. Stoddard, for 
young folks. It is well before sending 
Mss. to these or any other publications 
to examine several recent issues, for 
periodicals, like people, change some- 
what in character as the } r ears slip by. 
The New York Ledger has a depart- 
ment called Children the World Over, 
for which stories of one column in 
length are required. 

The Sunday edition of The Philadel- 
phia Times has a youth's department 



198 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



for which short stories and articles 
suitable for young people are in de- 
mand. 

Before mentioning the Sundaj^ School 
publications, it may not be amiss to 
say a few words in regard to the sort 
of short stories desired by editors in 
general, for they are unanimous on sev- 
eral points. 

First as to length. The shorter a 
story the better its chances of accept- 
ance. The maximum length used by a 
journal is never the most desirable to 
offer. This is true especial^ of the 
household, agricultural, religious, and 
Some editors secular family papers, and it also ap- 
want short plies to the Sunday School publications. 
stories. From one of those unpleasant little 

slips with which most of us are familiar, 
I quote, "Brief comprehensive articles 
always stand the better chance of ac- 
ceptance." This is the utterance of the 
editor of a Sunday School publication. 
Another writes: "Our special difficulty 
is in getting desirable brief sketches, as 
our authors seem inclined to rear three 
story and a basement fabrics, when a 
little glimpse of a bay window is all we 
have space for. The length of the story 
that we especially need is from six hun- 
dred to seven hundred words." 

The periodicals distinctively juvenile 
have, of course, space for longer stories. 

In Forward, published by the Pres- 
byterian Board of Publication, and The 
Young People's Weekly, issued by 
the David C. Cook Co., stories of from 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 199 

two thousand to twenty-five hundred 
words sometimes appear. They must 
be remarkably good ones, however, to 
do so. 

The inexperienced writer is apt to be 
extravagant in his use of material. 
Economy is as desirable here as else- 
where. A good rule is to plunge into 
the story without preamble, or if a pre- 
amble is absolutely necessarj 7 -, to cur- 
tail it as much as possible. It will not 
do to stop to tell who little Johnny's 
grandfather was, or that his maiden 
aunt was subject to rheumatism. 

All purchasers of juvenile literature 
desire stories not only about children 
(or young folks), but for children (or 
young folks). When writing a child's 
story, one must be for the time being 

Write for as a little child. We must go down on 
children as well the floor, as it were, and build houses 

as about with blocks, and take a real interest in 
them. paper dolls. Not only must the lan- 

guage be comprehensible to a child's 
mind, but the attitude of mind must be 
that of a child. The secret of Miss Al- 
cot's magic lies, I think, in the fact that 
she became one of the young people for 
whom she wrote. She thus avoided 
any tendenc}^ to preach, and yet her 
books are full of lessons. 

Editors desire bright stories — stories 
told in a sprightly, or otherwise pleas- 
ant manner. Miss Keeler, speaking of 
children's stories, says in her admirable 
little work on English composition: — 
"The charm of many short stories lies 



200 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

not so much in the incident upon which 
they are based as upon the way they 
are told." Conversation judiciously 
used will brighten an otherwise dull 
story, but it should carry forward the 
action of the tale, and reveal the char- 
acter of the little people about whom 
we write. It must be dropped before it 
becomes tiresome. 

Editors desire stories that are not 
only wholesome and elevating but cheer- 
ful. They do not want stories that are 
What is not depressing in their tendencj^; that leave 
wanted in juve- behind a feeling of sadness. A well- 
nile work. known writer for the Sunday School 
publications said to me the other day, 
— "I have learned two things: These 
papers do not want sad stories. And 
they want stories with a plot, stories 
full of action." 

The preaching or sermonizing story is 
not wanted by any editor now-a-days. 
The moral must be obvious in the story 
of to-day, and the tale that requires 
preaching, explanatory or otherwise, is 
regarded as a failure. 

Editors do not desire worn-out plots, 
although the lesson conveyed by the 
story may be as old as time itself. Some 
of these, familiar to Sunday School edi- 
tors, are "heaping coals of fire/' " sav- 
ing one's enemy from drowning," 
"school-girls slighting a poorly-dressed 
pupil," etc. 

For the writing of really good chil- 
dren's stories, abilities of the first order 
are required, as I think even this super- 
ficial study of the subject has proved. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 201 

A word in regard to the needs of Sun- 
day School publications. These period- 
icals use serials (historical, religious 
and moral), poems, little stories of ani- 
mal life, natural history in attractive 
form, biographical sketches, articles of 
information, little travel articles, hints 
as to behavior, and material for special 
numbers, such as Easter and Christmas 
issues. This is a good field. Many of 
these papers compare very favorably in 
appearance and matter with the secular 
publications. They pay promptly, their 
rates are fair, and they use a large 
About amount of Ms. 

Sunday School David C. Cook, Chicago, publishes 
journals. The Young People's Weekly, The Weekly 

Magnet and others (six in all). The 
American Tract Society, New York, is- 
sues The American Messenger, The 
Child's Paper, Apples of Gold, etc. The 
American Baptist Publication Society is 
represented by Our Boys and Girls, Our 
Young People, and others. The Presby- 
terian Board of Publication (like the 
Baptist Society, of Philadelphia) pub- 
lish Forward, The Sabbath School Vis- 
itor, and others. The Classmate, and 
The Sunday School Advocate, of New 
York are attractive papers of the Meth- 
odist Church. The Youth's Temper- 
ance Banner, and The Water Lily, of 
New York, use material similar to that 
required by the papers I have mentioned, 
as well as matter suited to the temper- 
ance work. The Child's Hour, and Our 
Sunday Afternoon, bright little periodi- 



A table 

of 

addresses. 



202 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

cals of Boston, use material similar to 
that desired by the Sunday School pub- 
lications I have mentioned. 

ADDRESSES OF THE PUBLICATIONS MEN- 
TIONED IN THIS ARTICLE. 

Periodicals for children and young peo- 
ple: — 

St. Nicholas, New York City. 

Harper's Round Table, New York 
City. 

Golden Days, Philadelphia. 

The Youth's Companion, Boston. 

Little Folks, Warner, N. H. 

The Favorite, Hyde Park, Mass. 
Religious and family papers: — 

The Outlook, New York City. 

The Churchman, New York City. 

The Congregationalist, Boston. 

The Advance, Chicago. 

The Interior, Chicago. 

The Evangelist, New York City. 

The Observer, New York City. 

The Living Church, Chicago. 

The Ep worth Herald, Chicago. 

The Christian Endeavor World, Bos- 
ton. 
Secular family papers: — 

The Home Monthly, Pittsburg, Pa. 

The Ladies' Home Journal, Philadel- 
phia. 

The Woman's Home Companion, 
Springfield, 0. 

The Ladies' World, New York City. 

The Home Magazine, Washington, 
D. C. 

The Home Queen, Philadelphia. 

The Household, Boston. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 208 

The Housekeeper, Minneapolis. 

The New York Ledger, New York City. 

The Times, Philadelphia. 
Sunday School and similar publica- 
tions: — 

The Child's Hour, and Our Sunday Af- 
ternoon. Address the editor, in care of 
W. A. Wilde & Co., 25 Bromfield St., 
Boston. 

The Sunday School Advocate, and The 
Classmate. Address all Mss. to Rev. J. 
L. Hurlbut, D. D., 150 Fifth Ave., New 
York City. 

Morning Light, Apples of Gold, The 
Addresses — American Messenger, The Child's Paper, 
continued. Address The American Tract Society, 10 
East 23rd St., New York City. 

Our Young People, The Young Reaper, 
Our Little Ones, Our Boys and Girls, The 
Colporter. Address The American Bap- 
tist Publication Society, 1420 Chestnut 
St., Philadelphia. 

The Sabbath School Visitor, Forward, 
The Morning Star, The Sunbeam. Ad- 
dress ail Mss. to Rev. J. R. Miller, D.D., 
1319 Walnut St., Philadelphia. 

The Weekly Magnet, The Weekly Wel- 
come, Dewdrops, Happy Hours, His 
Jewels, Young People's Weekly. Ad- 
dress Mss. for any of these to the Editor- 
ial Rooms, David C. Cook Publishing 
Co., 36 Washington St., Chicago. 

Youth's Temperance Banner, and The 
Water Lily, National Temperance Soci- 
ety and Publication House, 58 Reade 
St., New York City. 



m 



CHAPTER XV. 






THE ENGLISH LITERARY MARKET AMERICAN WRIT- 
ERS FOR ENGLISH JOURNALS A WIDE FIELD 

FOR GOOD MATERIAL OBTAIN AND STUDY ENG- 
LISH JOURNALS A LIST OF PUBLICATIONS THAT 

PAY FOR CONTRIBUTIONS THE MATTER OF 

POSTAGE. 



Three or four years ago there was a 
great deal of comment upon the fact that 
English writers were more popular than 
our own among American readers. 
A Among the dozen most popular and 

foreign best selling books, English authors were 

field. represented by a majority. Magazines 

were filled with their articles, they oc- 
cupied our lecture platforms, and their 
names were upon all tongues. But we 
overlooked the fact that Americans were 
very much in evidence in England and 
quite as popular there as Englishmen 
were here. Both Mr. Harold Frederic 
and Mr. Robert Barr were residing in 
England and doing work largely for Eng- 
lish publications; Stephen Crane, after his 
great success of The Red Badge of Cour- 
age, had retired to a modest little home 



204 



PBACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 205 

in Surrey, and was there preparing to 
win fresh laurels; while Mr. Edgar Faw- 
cett had almost wholly expatriated 
himself and, aside from one or two 
American journals with which he main- 
tained regular connections, his work 
was going to the English press. 

All of which proves only that the An- 
glo-Saxon writer need not limit himself 
to an audience on either side the water, 
but may write for both English and 
Americans. A number of regular and 
versatile literal workers upon this side 
"The °f the Atlantic have found that for cer- 

world's our tain classes of material the English mar- 
stage." ket is even better than the American. 
The statement has recent^ been made 
• that there are more than 2,000 maga- 
zines and literary journals in England. 
It may be presumed that these are all 
buyers of material to some extent. Cer- 
tainly we do not approach these numbers 
in America. 

It may seem a long cry to send an ar- 
ticle or story from Boston or New York, 
New Orleans or San Francisco, to Lon- 
don, merely upon the chance of accep- 
tance. It is not, however, so much of 
an undertaking as it seems. When we 
consider that the average editor upon 
this side requires a month to determine 
whether a contribution is acceptable, 



seems. 



206 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

it does not demand a very great stretch 
of patience to add to this month the two 
or three weeks required for transit/twice 
across a continent and an ocean. And 
Not in the matter of postage, the American 

so far as it contributor to the English journal has 
rather the advantage over his brother 
who confines himself wholly to the 
American press. This anomaly in pos- 
tage rates will be commented on later 
in this chapter. 

In contributing to the English press 
the usual journalistic rules hold good. 
Offer fresh, bright matter. Do not think 
they are provincial over there, and that 
you can work off hackneyed stuff that 
our own editors are too keen to accept. 
Type- write all manuscripts sent to the 
English market, for many English jour- 
nals will not consider manuscripts pre- 
sented in any other form. Enclose 
stamps for return. If you cannot se- 
cure English stamps, send enough silver 
to pay full return postage. 

Copies of all the leading English mag- 
azines may be obtained through The 
American News Company. Never go 
to the trouble of sending even the slight- 
est thing so far afield unless you have 
first made an exhaustive study of one 
dr two numbers of the magazine which 
you propose to honor, and are convinced 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 207 

from this study that your offering is at 
least somewhat in line with its needs. 

We have stated elsewhere that the 
most salable literary material in this 
country is the good, bright, short story. 
This is equally true in England. Almost 
all of the English magazines and many 
of the daily papers make constant use 
of such, and as a rule pay rather better 
Short ^ or them than do our American journals. 

stories in While it is impossible for us in this 

demand. work to cover the whole scope of Eng- 

lish publications, we will give here a few 
suggestions that may prove of value to 
writers who care to try this market: 

The Strand Magazine prefers illus- 
trated articles or articles capable of be- 
ing illustrated. For these their usual 
rate of remuneration is about $7.50 per 
thousand words. But sometimes much 
better prices are paid. 

The Cornhill Magazine pays about 
$5.00 per page for its articles and short 
stories. Blackwood's Magazine has 
earned a reputation for encouraging 
new talent. 

Good Words, and The Sunday Maga- 
zine, use many short popular articles and 
stories, usually illustrated. Rate of 
payment is about $5.00 per page of 
about 800 words. 

The Queen pays something more than 
$6.00 per column (about 1,300 words). 
The Fortnightly Review pays $125 for 
a " topical" article of 3,000 words, and 



208 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

$250 for a "front page" article of mod- 
erate length. 

The Pall Mall Magazine, the very first 
in rank, and the owner of which is an 
American, pays most liberally and will 
not haggle over price if it can get what 
is wanted. The editors of this magazine 
will neither read nor return a manu- 
script that is not typed. 

The English Illustrated Magazine, 
Pearson's Magazine, and Cassel's Fam- 
ily Magazine are standard publications, 
as is also The Quiver (religious.) 

"The Religious Tract Society," pub- 
lishes The Sunday at Home, which con- 
Some tains a serial, short stories, sketches of 
journals worth foreign travel, a children's page, etc. 
considering. This society also owns The Leisure 
Hour, The Girl's Own Paper, and The 
Bo3''s Own Paper. 

Chums, an excellent journal for boys, 
uses w t ell -written tales and articles 
suited for the rising generation. 

The Humanitarian uses short stories,, 
for which it pays about $5.00 each. 

Among the weekly journals, we may 
mention The World, which pays about 
$15.00 for its short story each week;; 
Truth publishes a "queer story" each 
week, for which it pays $10; To-Day 
states that it is always ready to con- 
sider interesting articles and stories, if 
the}' are type written. 

Among the popular penny weeklies 
are The Golden Penny, The Saturday 
Journal, Pearson's Weekly, Tit Bits, and 
Answers. All go in for the light, the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 209 

popular and the amusing. Brevity 
seems to be with them the soul of wit, 
most of their stories being under three 
thousand words. The usual rate of re- 
muneration is $5.00 per column. The 
column of The Saturday Journal is 
about 800 words. 

Forget-Me-Not offers $5.00 each week 
for the best original tale under 2,000 
words. 

The Family Herald buys fiction only. 

Among the journals devoted to femi- 
English nine interests are The Queen, The Gentle- 

household and woman, The Ladies' Pictorial, and The 
other jour- Woman. The latter uses stories of 
na!s. 2,000 words or thereabouts, paving at 

the rate of $5.00 per 1,000 words. 

Among the best juveniles are Little 
Folks and The Family Circle. 

Anecdotes states that it wants short, 
bright, up-to-date articles. It uses par- 
agraphs — humorous, informative, or 
personal. 

The Sun newspaper publishes each 
day a story of not more than 800 
words, for which the remuneration is 
$5.00. Stories not accepted are not re- 
turned. 

The Figaro is a penny weekly, whose 
editorial notice is as follows: "The edi- 
tor will be pleased to consider para- 
graphs, stories and verse suitable for 
insertion. Accepted contributions will 
be paid for at our usual rates. Type 
written manuscripts preferred." 

Short Stories is a penny weekly that 
uses bright, but not sensational short 



210 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

tales. Some of them run no more than 
700 words. 

The Evening News uses a short story 
of 1,000 to 4 1,200 words each day. 
Nothing solid need apply here. 

Lloj^d's Weekly uses each week a story 
of about 2,000 words. 

The Weekly Budget is a penny paper, 
now in its thirty-sixth year, which runs 
all the time two or three serials, which 
must be of a somewhat exciting nature 
and adapted to the wants of the masses 
rather than the classes. 

Sunday Hours is a penny weekly for 
boys and girls, which uses ''interesting 
and helpful reading for boys and girls 
from the age of 12 upwards, and for 
young men and maidens." 

The address of all the above publica- 
tions is London, England. 

One matter in connection with con- 
tributions to be offered to English pub- 
lications is worthy of consideration. 
jh e Manuscripts mailed from one point to 

matter of another within the United States must 
postage. pa}^ postage at letter rates, 2 cents an 

ounce; but they may be sent to Great 
Britain, or anywhere throughout the 
Postal Union, as "commercial papers," 
if unsealed, and if no letter or any- 
thing in the character of personal cor- 
respondence is enclosed, at the rate of 
5 cents for 10 ounces or less; exceeding 
10 ounces, at the rate of 1 cent for each 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 211 

two ounces or fraction; the maximum 
weight for such a packet being four 
pounds, six ounces. 

If a printed form with name and ad- 
dress of sender is used in submitting 
manuscripts, there will be no need of 
enclosing a letter. The manuscript en- 
Observe this. velope should be marked on the outside 
"Ms. only, unsealed." Then place upon 
it stamps at the above rate. Enclose 
an envelope directed to yourself and 
similarly marked and stamped. If you 
cannot get English postage to pay the 
return trip, enclose silver securely wrap- 
ped. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CHOOSING A MARKET. 

A knowledge of the right avenues in 
which to offer work is of so much im- 
portance that the fact cannot be too 
often reiterated. This is knowledge that 
comes in its most complete form from 
experience, and from experience alone. 

The average young writer, or even 
the older writer, whose work has been 
confined within narrow limits, has but 
Necessary little idea of the vast range of the liter- 

knowledge, ary market. Ordinarily the young 
writer has in his mind's eye a few of the 
leading magazines only, when consid- 
ering what journals shall be honored 
with the opportunity of accepting his 
productions. 

We would never discourage a young 
writer from shooting at a shining mark, 
provided he has at all the right sort of 
ammunition. But the chances for accep- 
tance with those publications are nat- 
urally of the slightest, as they receive 
such a vast amount of material in ex- 
cess of their possible needs. They have 
continually also the first chance at the 

212 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 213 

work of men and women whose ability 
in the literary field has already been 
proven, whose names are the warrant 
for good work, and whose work helps 
to sell the journal in which it is pub- 
lished. 

After these shining lights among cur- 
rent publications, come a large number 
The best °f excellent magazines of somewhat less 

opportunities, repute, which use good work, which pay 
fair prices, and whose pages are less 
given up to the work of master hands. 
With these is doubtless one of the best 
avenues for the young writer to prove 
what he can do. 

We do not wish to be understood as 
meaning by the above that such maga- 
zines as Harper's, Scribner's, The Cen- 
tury, The Atlantic, Lippincott's, The 
Cosmopolitan, or McClure's discrimi- 
nate against the young writer. Editors 
of all these are men of ability and judg- 
ment, who are always on the lookout 
for the new writer who has something 
new to say. We know of more than 
onefsuch who has made his first appear- 
ance|before the reading public in their 
pages. 

But directly in the class following 
these magazines we have many literary 
weeklies which use general literary mis- 
cellany; then a few religious papers and 



214 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

magazines which use miscellany of high 

character and pay good prices; juvenile 

Other journals, which use a wide range of 

good buyers. contributions; household and domestic 
journals; class journals, among which 
are the trade papers; agricultural and 
society journals, scientific and popular- 
scientific publications — all good buyers 
■when a writer knows just what is 
wanted and where to send it. 

Following these comes perhaps the 
widest field of all, if not the best in point 
of compensation, and one that is neg- 
lected by many writers either because 
they do not know or do not appreciate 
its value— the daily newspaper. Per- 
haps it has not occurred to them that 
The the modern daily newspaper does not 

newspaper as a differ very greatly in its general make-up 
magazine. from the modern magazine. We are 
speaking now of the newspapers of the 
higher class, not those which are popu- 
larly designated as "yellow journals." 
The papers of this better class not only 
give us the news of the day, but their 
columns are open to everything which 
touches upon the literal and social 
life of the hour, to advancements in 
science, to new discoveries in every 
realm of nature, to travel, biography, 
anecdote, sociology, the short stoiw, in 
fact everything which affords material 
for the writer's pen. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 215 

Even in point of compensation, the 
newspaper as a literary market is not 
to be lightly regarded. Contrary to 
the impression of many writers, the 
rates paid by some of these journals 
are better than those of a great many 

Newspapers as other publications of higher literary 
paymasters. pretentions. Newspaper space rates 
run from $3.00 to $10.00 per column, of 
about 1,500 words. While this is not 
extravagant payment, it is at least as 
good as that of some of the literary 
weeklies and smaller magazines. One 
who is producing a great deal of copy 
can hardly afford to ignore the news- 
paper field, as it is the only one that is 
practically unlimited. 

The writer of this has a friend who 
is a well-known and somewhat volum- 
inous contributor to the press, includ- 
ing both newspapers and magazines, 
and he has that rare abihHw that en- 
ables him to write well upon almost 
any subject that can be suggested. If 

Timely topics. he has any one point which disqualifies 
him from becoming a pre-eminently suc- 
cessful all-round writer, it is that he 
cannot always choose subjects in line 
with editorial requirements. Occasion- 
ally the writer suggests topics to him, 
and these are immediately worked out 
and sent off. Recently commenting up- 



216 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

on this, our friend said: "My subject 
book shows that articles upon topics 
suggested by you alwaj^s sell, and al- 
most always at the first intention." 

The explanation of this is not difficult. 
The subjects suggested were alwa} r s 
such as seemed to be in line with current 
topics of public interest. They had the 
element of timeliness, and so commended 
themselves at once to editors. Further, 
no theme was ever suggested unless a 
publication was in mind at the time 
which might fairly be thought to care 
Avoid for an article of that sort. Thus there 

firing at was very little firing at random. It was 

random. no t as though one had said to himself: 

"Here is a good topic. I will write an 
article upon it," and forthwith did so, 
without stopping to consider whether 
any publication would be apt to use 
matter of that sort. Good articles may 
wander about aimlessly and forever, 
unless they are directly suited to the 
needs of some certain journal. There is 
nothing more important for the writer 
to learn than this. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE TYPEWRITER. 

Undoubtedly the typewriter has its 
own sins to answer for. It has made 
possible a greater production of manu- 
scripts than formerly, and has rendered 
it easy for many writers who are ex- 
A boon to tremely ready in the use of words, but 
editors. rather barren as to ideas, to deluge ed- 

itors with masses of stuff that are only 
a burden to their desks. Still, it has 
been a great boon to these same editors 
in making easier their work of reading 
and passing upon manuscripts, as near- 
ly everything is now put before them in 
so much plainer shape than formerly. 

Writers may well call the typewriter 
their friend. To the majority of people, 
continued labor "with the pen is weari- 
Makes work some to the last degree. More than 
easier. one writer has found that while the 

brain is yet fresh and active, the hand 
and the eye have tired of the constant 
strain to which the pen has subjected 
them. The tj^pewriter has enabled 
writers to do their work more rapidly, 
more easily and in some ways more 

217 



818 ?:.^:::.al ArTz;:.-zi? 

correctly than ever before. We beHeve 

it is True that the average man or wo- 
n:aa ;aa stand twice as many hours af 
work at the machine as with the pen 
At least rable the rapidity in the pro- 
icti ::: : : : apymayl e ac paired, so that 
the ratic rfproduction as between the 
machine and pen may be stated as :::.: 
t : : a e 

rhere is nc loubt that a writer is 
able tc put his sentences into better 
form by the aid :: the aiachine, where 

e a : h w :::'. as soon as on;: 

s t a n f. s : a t m : r e de arry b ef or e him 
A help toward than with the pen In tins manner he 
clearness of zriticiees his ywnwork as he goes along, 
expression. ; with the very slightest labor may 

recast a sentence, a paragraph or a 
page. Then tc : the use of the type- 
writer tends t: make the operator more 
careful in his choice of words, in the 
form of his sentences and in spelling 
and in punctuation. Thesr lefects are 
not so glaring in the script, but stand 
Mit with an accusing listntctness in 
the type copy. 

I ; a : t a:\ e :t t : : mn .a fix m the typ e- 
writer for it is : ::a mechanical It 
cannc: ;aa ran ana: a ftmctj a/a : at it 
can bring me's a.aa :rt in such a 

laring manner that :a- wiD at Dnce 

_ _ 

set about nana: errors :: a 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 219 

without this light upon them, he would 

scarcely have believed himself capable. 

The following extract clipped from a 

publication of large circulation shows 

in the plainest manner the comparative 

values of type written and pen written 

manuscripts: 

"It is singular, when the general use of the 
typewriter makes legibility cheap, that many 
aspirants for the emoluments of authorship con- 
tinue to complete their creations in their own 
chirography, and send them in that shape to the 
publishers. If they only knew what delay, to 
say nothing harsher, was incurred by such a 
course, they would have their copy neatly type- 
written before entrusting it to the mercy of the 
critics who are to judge it. The sight of hand- 
An editor's written copy makes the spleen of a publisher's 

opinion. reader rise as soon as he opens it. So the author 

already has a certain feeling of enmity against 
him before a word is read. Then the critic 
begins to wade through it, more intent upon 
ascertaining its poor qualities than upon discov- 
ering any real merit it may contain. Then he 
closes it with a bang and takes up a slip: — 
'Crude, ill-fashioned, poor taste and weak treat- 
ment. Plot involved and disconnected. Char- 
acters ill-formed and unstudied.' He pins this 
on it and sends it into the office, and the man- 
uscript is returned to its author as unavailable. 
This, mind you, happens after the thing has 
been in the publisher's possession for weeks, 
because he won't examine a hand-written con- 
tribution until he has cleaned up all the type- 
written stuff. Old authors are familiar with 
these tricks of the trade, and young ones should 
become acquainted with them, and remember 
that typewritten manuscript, where everything 
else is even, stands ten chances for acceptance 
against one for the other kind." 

Yet it must not be thought that the 



220 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

mere fact that a manuscript is type- 
written will commend it to editors. It 
has been found that much t}'pe copy 
prepared bj- incompetent persons, or by 
copyists who are accustomed to doing 
commercial work, comes from the ma- 
chine in the worst possible form for the 
printer's use. The average copyist who 
has had no training in the preparation 
of literary material knows very little 
about punctuation, capitalization, or 
paragraphing — to say nothing of spell- 
ing and grammar. It may be expected 
that the author's original manuscript, 
being correct in these particulars, will 
be a sufficient guide to the copyist. But 
in the first place, all writers are not 
beyond criticism in these particulars, 
Type copy an d second, all copyists do not follow 
has best chance copy. 

of acceptance. it cannot be disputed by any one who 

is familiar with the inside of an editor- 
ial office of any importance, that type 
script is always the first read, and that 
pen scripts often suffer by being neg- 
lected until all the material needed has 
been accepted. Then there is nothing to 
do but to send the pen script back to 
its owner. No matter how conscien- 
tious and impartial an editor may en- 
deavor to be in the fulfillment of his 
duties, no matter how earnestly he may 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 221 

endeavor to discover the very best 
work among the whole, the typewrit- 
ten manuscript will always be the 
favored one. 

Entirely aside from the fact that type- 
written manuscript is the one sort that 
all editors like to handle, the possession 
of a typewriter will prove an item of 
economy and profit to anyone who 
makes a business of preparing material 
for the press. Composition by its aid 
is so much more rapid than is possible to 
the best penman, that the gain alone in 
the quantity of output greatly increases 
The machine an one's earning pow r er. The labor of writ- 
economizer. i n g a given number of pages upon the 
typewriter is wonderfully less than in 
doing the same work by hand. Further, 
the machine is an economizer both of 
paper and of postage. A sheet of paper 
8V2 x 11, double spaced and with proper 
margins, will contain about 325 words 
of copy. An ordinary bold hand would 
place about 125 to 150 words on the 
same sheet. If a good quality of linen 
paper is used, as should be, the saving 
in the cost of this is considerable, and 
the saving in postage is much more. 

Another item worth considering is 
that a copy of one's work may be had 
upon the typewriter with very little 
extra trouble. By using a carbon sheet 



222 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

a second copy ma} r be made, which for 
the author's purpose is quite as good 
as the first. It is not advisable to send 
Carbon copies, carbon copies to editors, but it is a wise 
plan to keep a cop}^ of all the work sent 
off, to guard against possible total loss 
of a valuable article. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

PREPARING COPY. 

It is important that your marmscript 
be correctly paragraphed. It is very 
annoying to an editor to be compelled 
to go over an entire manuscript line by 
line for no other purpose than to cor- 
rect an author's omissions regarding 
its paragraphing. No general rule can 
be laid down in this matter. In writ- 
ing conversations, the general rule is to 
About have each new speaker begin with a 

paragraphing. new paragraph, and to let no conversa- 
tional paragraph run beyond 125 or 
150 words. Yet in a running conversa- 
tion where theseparatespoken portions 
are of but a few words each, some 
writers prefer to blend into one para- 
graph a number of these short sentences. 
This method, however, is not generally 
popular with editors. 

While, as we have stated, no conver- 
sational paragraph should run bej'ond 
100 or 150 words, the same rule can 
hardly be applied to descriptive matter 
or interludes. Yet a short paragraph 
is almost always preferred to a long 

223 



224 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

one; and no paragraph should be per- 
mitted to run to the entire length of a 
printed page, as to do so gives the 
matter when in print a heavy appear- 
ance. A writer's own judgment, based 
upon observation as to the practice in 
our most carefully edited publications, 
is the only guide on which to rely. 

Italics are very sparingly used by the 
most careful writers. It has been said, 
and properly, that each sentence should 
be so formed that it will emphasize it- 
self at the proper points, if emphasis is 
Omit italics. needed. There is no reason why we 
should indicate by a special mark where 
emphasis is to be understood, any more 
than we should indicate ironj^, humor, 
etc. We have seen manuscripts so un- 
derlined that the printed page, if copy 
had been followed, would have been 
little more than a succession of italicized 
words, strung together by a few con- 
necting words in Roman type. Such 
would of course be absurd in the printed 
page, and is no less absurd in the man- 
uscript. Italics may be used for foreign 
words, and to indicate the titles of pa- 
pers and magazines. But the profes- 
sional writer will have little use for 
them beyond this. 

Where numbers are used, many writers 
carelessly indicate them by figures with- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 225 

out regard to any rule. Figures thrown 
heedlessly into one's cop} r give it a bad 
In regard to appearance, and careful editors will not 
numerals. let them appear on the printed page, 
except when in adherence to strict rules. 
Our own practice is to write out in 
words all numbers under one hundred. 
This custom will meet the approval of 
all editors. 

Use no quotation marks, unless they 
are absolutely necessary, and they are 
not necessary unless a direct quotation 
is made. Some writers use them for 
the sake of emphasis, and copy in which 
they are so employed is a nuisance to 
editors. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE QUESTION OF TIMELINESS. 

There are two distinct ways in which 
timeliness will apply to contributions of- 
fered for current publications . One is the 
timeliness which will apply to special 
days and seasons, such as the Christ- 
mas holidays, the Fourth of July, Wash- 
ington's Birthday, etc. The other, the 
timeliness that will enable an editor to 
present to his readers material touch- 
Special ing upon important events, while they 
days and are engaging the public attention. As 
seasons. an illustration of the latter, it may easily 
have been observed that during the late 
war editors of all sorts of publications 
took eagerly not only material that bore 
directly upon the war itself, but every- 
thing connected with war, and the move- 
ments of armies. Industrious writers 
ransacked both ancient and modern his- 
tory to find how troops were equipped, 
and fed, and handled; how navies were 
built, what improvements had been 
made in engines of war, how fortifica- 
tions had been and now are constructed, 
how prisoners of war were treated, in 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



227 



Timeliness in 

regard to public 

events. 



fact everything that pertained to hos- 
tilities between two nations. 

As soon as the war was finished such 
material fell dead. Editors then could 
only be persuaded to use war material 
from the pens of men who had made 
themselves famous in the conflict, de- 
scribing the important events in which 
they had part. Even war poems, that 
had been so marked a feature of our 
magazines and newspapers for months, 
could hardly be given away a week 
after the declaration of peace. 

Of course am^one who has material 
that is timely in its connection with 
public events, will be wise enough to 
offer it for sale without the loss of a 
single day. But some writers never 
seem to learn just when to send out 
material that is timely in connection 
with special days and seasons. We 
have known writers of considerable ex- 
perience who would send an article on 
Easter to an illustrated magazine late 
in February or earfy in March, or one 
upon Christmas to a syndicate the 15th 
of December. 

Only some knowledge of how publica- 
tions are made up and printed and 
issued will help one to arrive at the 
correct methods of practice in these 
cases. An illustrated magazine is often 



i528 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

on the press sixty days before it makes 
its appearance upon the news-stands. 
Or if not actually upon the press, the 
type has been set, the illustrations pre- 
pared, and the magazine is in process of 
make-up. At least a month prior to 
this, and often more, the material for 
the number has been selected, and the 
How editor knows just what is to be used. 

and when timely Stories having a bearing upon a special 
material is season must be selected even in advance 
of this period and put away with the 
material that is to go into the Christ- 
mas or Easter number. Thus it may 
readily be seen that work submitted so 
late as the dates mentioned above can 
have no possible chance of acceptance. 
Then comes the other question, how 
early or how much in advance of the 
time of publication may such seasonable 
work be offered? One editor has said, 
and this not entirely with the desire to 
be facetious, that the best time to offer 
a Christmas story is— the day after 
Christmas. There is a grain of truth in 
this, but we should rather prefer to 
offer the Christmas material in March 
or April. That is, if it is intended for 
the larger illustrated magazines. For 
the smaller magazines and syndicates, 
it ma}^ be offered as late as September 
or the 1st of October; and for the news- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 229 

papers, up to within a week or two of 
the time of publication. However, in 
this latter case the work that comes in 
toward the end of the time limit will 
have a slighter chance for acceptance 
than that which is offered earlier. It 
rarely happens that an editor after ac- 
cepting all the material that he will 
need to make tip an approaching special 
issue, will take on other material that 
must be held over until the following 
year. We have known this to be done, 
but it was only when the material was 
so very good that the editor could not 
afford the chance of its escaping him and 
falling into other hands. As a rule all 
editors desire fresh material, and not 
Jake that which. has been carried in their 

time by the files from season to season, 
forelock. It must be considered also that a 

manuscript is not always accepted 
by the first editor to whom offered. 
Rarer still is it, unless one pos- 
sesses an overshadowing reputation, 
that a writer may send out a manu- 
script with a certainty that it will be 
thus accepted at the first intention. 
Consequently, with these seasonable 
articles time must be taken b} r the fore- 
lock, so that if a manuscript must 
make two or three or more journeys be- 
fore arriving at the proper anchorage, 



230 PRACTICAL AUTHOKSHIP 

it will have time to do so before the 
special season has passed. This is a 
point that should not be overlooked. 
The following table of dates and top- 
ics, together with dates at which ma- 
terial should be offered, will be found 
worthy of a place on the desk of every 
writer. 
Jan. 1, New Year's Day July to Sept. 

Feb. 2, Ground Hog Day — Can-^j 
dlemas. 
" 12, Lincoln's Birthday. ' . Q 

" 14, St. Valentine's Day. f AUg ' t0 UCt * 
" 15, Maine blown up. 
,. " 22, Washington's Birthday. , 

of M'rch 4, Inauguration Day, ) 

j a i es [every four years.] > Sept. to Nov. 

"17, St. Patrick's Day. ) 

or 
April — Easter. Sept. to Nov. 

" 1, All Fool's Day. 

" 13, Jefferson's Birthday. 

" 14, Lincoln's Assassination J> Oct. to Dec. 

" 23, Shakespeare s Birthday 

" 27, Grant's Birthday. 

May 1, May Day, Dewey's vie- ^ 

tory at Manila. 
" 24, Queen Victoria's Birth- ^ Qy tQ Jan 

day. 
" 30, Decoration or Memorial 

Day. 



Dec to Feb. 



June — Graduates, Vacation, etc. 
" 12, Flag Day. 

July 3, Schley's victory at ) 

Santiago. > Jan. to Mar. 

" 4, Independence Day. ) 

Aug. — Midsummer Day. Feb. to Apr. 



PRACTICAL ALTHORSHIP 231 

Sept.— School. "| 

" — Second Monday, Labor I,, ,, 

Daj J ' >Mar. to May. 

" 10, Perry's Victory. J 

Oct. — Harvest, Fruit, etc. ) 

" 8-11, Great Chicago Fire. > Apr. to June. 
" 31, Hallowe'en. ) 

Nov. — Nuts, Turkeys, etc. ) 

11 — Last Thursday Thanks- V May to July. 
giving Day. ) 

Dec. 16, Boston Tea Party. ) T , . 

- 25! Christmas Day. | June to Aug. 

To these may be added the principal 

Some Chinese and Jewish feast days of the 

national year, or a few of other nationalities 

days. which are celebrated in our country by 

foreigners. 

Stories of general information relative 
to these days will stand a much better 
chance of acceptance in the right season, 
than miscellaneous contributions. 



CHAPTER XX. 

SYNDICATES. 

The literary syndicate is an out- 
growth of the great expansion of the 
metropolitan newspaper. It is a thing 
of comparatively recent \ r ears, the past 
decade having witnessed almost its en- 
tire development. 

The newspaper has grown from a 
mere chronicler of local events and hap- 
penings into a compendium of all that 
A necessity to takes place in the wide world. It has 
newspapers. added to this the publication of fiction, 
it has sent travelers and explorers every- 
where, correspondents with every army 
that has taken the field, and its repre- 
sentatives have been present at even- 
great event in the civilized world. 

Some discerning man discovered that 
it was a severe tax upon newspapers to 
have their own representatives every- 
where, and that there was no reason why 
two or three, or more journals situated 
at widely separated points, should not 
combine for the gathering of expensive 
news. Then someone thought of tak- 
ing it upon himself to gather this mate- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



233 



The 
development 

of 
the syndicate 



rial and dispose of it to various papers. 
Finally, from the gathering of news, 
the syndicate man went to buying 
newspaper material of all sorts, includ- 
ing fiction, and selling it to as many 
journals as he could, for simultaneous 
publication. During recent years some 
of the leading authors both of England 
and America have found it to their ad- 
vantage to sell the serial rights of their 
work to S3 r ndicates, who supplied it to 
newspapers throughout the English- 
speaking world. As a rule a syndicate 
limits its service to one paper in a city. 
We now have American syndicates 
that handle everything that newspapers 
can use. Others devote themselves to 
special branches. One makes a specialty 
of short stories, 1,500 to 2,500 words, 
for which it pays about the price that 
would be paid by a good newspaper. 
It has been known to syndicate work 
bought in this manner, to more than 
eighty journals, receiving from each one 
fair compensation, so that the total 
amount brought to it for a story was 
of course vastly in excess of the amount 
paid the author. Another syndicate 
devotes itself entirely to feature articles 
— articles that can be illustrated. Some 
of the syndicates supply their material 
in the form of proof sheets, while others 



234 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



send out stereotyped plates ready for 
the press. 

There is much to be said both for and 
against the syndicate, both from the 
standpoint of editors and writers. It 
might seem at first that editors would 
not be willing to pay a very liberal 
price for matter not exclusively their 
own. Yet by utilizing the services of 
the syndicate, they are saved much 
time and labor that would have to be 
given to handling and examining great 

Its merits amounts of manuscript in order to 
and come at just what they want lor them- 

demerits. selves. The syndicate acts as a middle- 
man, sorting out and rejecting the chaff 
and bringing to the attention of news- 
paper editors only that which seems 
best. The newspaper, in distinction 
from the magazine, is only a thing of 
the day and its field of circulation is 
limited. It is read to-day and to-mor- 
row it exists not; and although the 
same material may appear in papers in 
adjacent cities, it will not come before 
the readers in both. Magazines thus 
. duplicating material would neutralize 
the value and originality of each other, 
but not so with the newspapers. 

From the author's standpoint the 
syndicate is not a good thing — unless 
one can sell to the syndicate. To a cer- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 235 

tain extent the s^mdicate cuts off the 
wider marker which the newspapers 
might afford were it not for the syndi- 
cate. On the other hand, it pays a 
rather better price for material as a 
Its rates of rule, and gives wide distribution to its 
payment. material, so that the author and his 

work become known more widely 
afield than would be possible through 
the medium of am r single journal. It is 
also true that some of the papers 
patronizing syndicates would not be 
bm r ers of original material. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE ETHICS OF POSTAGE. 

Any package not exceeding four 
pounds in weight may be sent by mail. 
Manuscripts, whether t}'pe- written or 
pen-written, are subject to the letter 
postage rate,two cents for each ounce or 
fraction thereof. It does not make any 
difference whether they are sealed or not; 
the post-office department considers a 
manuscript the same as a letter. 

While the full rate of postage must be 
paid, it does not matter to the govern- 
ment whether it is all paid at the be- 
Prepay postage ginning of the route, or whether a 
in full. portion is paid by the receiver. So a 

four pound manuscript package, upon 
which the full postage would be $1.28, 
may be sent from New York to San Fran- 
cisco if one two cent stamp is affixed. 
But the man at the other end will have 
to pay $1.26 before it will be delivered 
to him. 

Right here is where some writers 
make a serious mistake. They either 
knowingly or carelessly put on less than 
the full amount of postage required, 

236 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



237 



Deficient pos- 
tage may cause 
trouble. 



and trust to the editor or publisher to 
whom their manuscript is sent, to make 
up the deficiencj^. Some of them will do 
this, some will not. There are publish- 
ing offices which make it a rule to ac- 
cept from the post office no manuscript 
that is not fully prepaid. Other Mss. 
go to the dead letter office, and from 
there notification is sent to the owner. 
If an editor takes from the office an 
underpaid package, making up the de- 
ficiency himself, he is already prejudiced 
against the sender. If upon opening the 
package, he finds also that the sender 
has omitted to enclose return postage, 
the chances are that the manuscript 
will receive scant consideration. 

This may seem but a little thing when 
one considers a single manuscript. But 
there are many offices in which so many 
underpaid manuscripts are received, 
that the thing becomes really burden- 
some. A writer should have enough 
respect for himself and enough confi- 
dence in his work to fully prepay it, and 
to send the entire amount needed to 
insure its safe return. 

A manuscript of more than one pound 
weight may be sent to points not too 
far distant, by express, at a less charge 
than by mail. When sending an express 
package, it is best to notify the editor 



238 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

briefly by mail, giving the title of the 
Put name on manuscript and the express line by 
Ms. which forwarded. Be very certain also 

that your name is affixed to your man- 
uscript. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A NEGLECTED FIELD. 

There is one branch of work largely 
in demand by certain journals of vari- 
ous classes, which seems to be over- 
looked by the majority of writers. We 
refer to editorials. It is the general im- 
pression that editorials of newspapers, 
magazines, weekly literary journals, 
Writing trade publications, etc., are entirely the 

editorials. work of their editors. This is not al- 
ways true. Of course the business of 
an editor is to write editorials, and this 
a great many of them do, supplying the 
entire material of this sort needed by 
their respective journals. Yet there are 
other publications that are alert to se- 
cure good articles bearing upon topics 
of the day, that may be used in the edi- 
torial columns. We have known a 
number of high class weekly journals 
which make a specialty of clear and 
concise editorials dealing with the pert- 
inent topics of the time, to use contrib- 
uted articles in their editorial columns, 
and to invite the senders to supply 
other work of the same sort. 

239 



240 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Contributed 
articles some- 
times used as 
editorials. 



Of course it is understood that when 
a contributed article is used as an edi- 
torial, the writer loses the credit. On 
the other hand he usually receives abet- 
ter rate of compensation than would 
be the case if the article were used else- 
where in the same journal. The writer 
some time ago found that an article 
submitted in the ordinary manner to a 
class publication of high rank was used 
in this manner, and taking the hint, he 
adapted much of his work upon current 
topics to such use; never offering it as 
an editorial, but preparing it in such 
manner that it could be so used almost 
absolutely without change. A fair pro- 
portion of such work was accepted and 
used in that manner, and the compensa- 
tion received was invariably better than 
for other contributions to the same 
journals. 

Some of the large daily papers are 
glad to have such contributions, as the 
editors are not always able to keep up 
with the demands made upon them, for 
fresh and original treatment of the var- 
ious topics that they must bring up for 
the consideration of their readers. An 
over-worked editor is sometimes only 
too glad to avail himself of the assis- 
tance of an intelligent contributor who 
may relieve him once in a while from the 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



241 



What 
a newspaper 
editor does. 



Some examples 

of 

good editorial 

work. 



drudgerj- of his daily task. What this 
daily task may be in a great newspaper 
office is shown by the recent statement 
of one of the older and abler journalists 
of our country, one who was for a long 
time editor-in-chief of a great metropol- 
itan newspaper, to the effect that for 
twenty years he had been accustomed 
to write three columns of editorial mat- 
ter each night between the hours of 
eleven and one o'clock. 

A little observation will teach a writ- 
er what journals really use editorials, 
and what merely have some editorial 
comment upon matters and things. 
Perhaps the New York Sun, among 
newspapers, Collier's Weekly, among 
literary weeklies, and The Country 
Gentleman, among class publications, 
afford the best examples of original and 
trenchant editorial work, sustained in 
every issue throughout the year. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

ARTICLES OF INFORMATION. 

It has been well said that to be a 
writer one need not be an author. In 
our current publications, there is room 
for a vast amount ol material which 
could not by any stretch of the imagina- 
tion entitle its writer to claim a place 
among authors. This is not said by 
way of belittling such work, but to 
show the immense opportunities for all 
Material in who can write intelligently upon prac- 
great demand, tical subjects. Articles of information 
are in demand by all classes of journals, 
from the newspaper and domestic 
monthly up to the leading magazines. 
These articles may be the result of study, 
of travel, and of research along many 
lines. These are the higher levels of ar- 
ticles of information, and are usually 
the product of those who make journal- 
ism a profession. 

But there is another field to which we 
would call particular attention. That 
is the One which demands practical ar- 
ticles which are the result of experience 
upon matters of homelife,child-training, 

242 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 243 

the care of the health, culinary affairs, 
education, etc. Those most competent 
to write along these lines are house- 
keepers, mothers, teachers, who are 

Practical lines careful observers and who have sum- 
tor work. cient tact to choose wisely what to say, 
and who are acquainted with the or- 
dinary rules which govern the accept- 
able preparation of manuscript. Such 
may not only receive a fair recompense 
for such work from the press, but may 
discover a medium for doing much good 
thereby. 

Such articles will find the readiest ac- 
ceptance with the many journals de- 
voted to the home. They should not 
often be long. Papers of 200 to 500 
words will be found more acceptable 
than those of greater length. Much 

What various literary skill is not needed in the prepa- 
journals ration of these, but one should be able 

to give clear expression to facts and 
ideas, and to write good, terse, vigor- 
ous English. The agricultural journals 
use a great deal of such material, as do 
also the religious journals which have 
a household department. In the home, 
or woman's department of some of the 
larger metropolitan dailies, space is also 
given to such material in one issue each 
week — usually the Saturday or Sunday 
issue. 



use. 



244 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

In preparing articles of this sort, we 
would suggest that writers observe 
Plain what we have said in our chapter upon 

methods for writing for trade journals. That is, 
practical that in practical work one may write 

best and succeed best by confining one- 
self to the topics regarding which he has 
the widest and most explicit knowledge 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE LITERARY CRITIC. 

The part of the critic, as commonly 
accepted in literature, is to take the fin- 
ished and printed work of the author, 
and to tell the public whether it is good 
or bad and to show why it is so. 

But there is another view-point for 

tire critic, and that is in his relations to 

His the literary beginner. The beginner in 

value to the literature, as the beginner in art, or in 

beginner. j^ e sciences or the trades, is often chiefly 

remarkable for the things that he does 

not know about the profession upon 

which he has chosen to embark. 

It is not uncommon for the } r oung 
writer to think that because he has 
something to say he must necessarily 
know how to say it. But this does not 
always follow. If he wishes to get the 
ear of editors and through them reach 
the ear of the great public, he must con- 
form to certain standards. Not only 
must he be grammatically correct and 
technically correct in other particulars, 
but he must avoid certain forms of ex- 
pression, and the introduction of cer- 



246 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



tain matter which is almost invariably 
the sign manual of the amateur. It is 
more the sins of commission than of 
omission of which the young writer 
must beware. The trouble usually is 
that he overdoes his matter, rather 
than the reverse. He is apt to be too 
Common verbose, too flowery, too redundant of 

errors of young speech. In such a case, if he can sub- 
writers, mit his work to one who understands 
the technique of his art, who can ex- 
amine and criticise it from the stand- 
point of the editor, before it is submitted 
for editorial approval, he certainly 
should be the gainer. 

In this connection we must warn the 
young writer that the criticism of 
friends is not to be depended upon. 
Nor is it always safe to trust, as some 
writers seem bent upon doing, to other 
and older writers for an opinion. It is a 
fact well known among editors that 
many able writers are wholly unable to 
judiciously criticise their own work. In 
them the editorial faculty appears to be 
wholly lacking, and they are not com- 
petent to pass judgment upon the work 
of themselves or of others. It is only 
after an author has occupied an editor- 
ial position that he can safely be de- 
pended upon to give to others criticism 
and advice which is wholly reliable. So 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 247 

if one can command the services of a 
Secure competent professional critic, who will 

competent read his manuscript with no purpose 
criticism. but to determine and report upon its 
character and availability for publica- 
tion, it will often be well to do so. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE VALUE OF WORK. 

Writers are made, — not born. There 
may be some exceptions, which only 
prove the rule; but skill in composition, 
in literary technique, in concise and dra- 
matic expression, is acquired, — as all 
things else that are worth having are 
acquired, — by application. 

It matters little what direction your 
work may take, your first efforts will 
Skill have a certain crudeness which you can- 

the result of not be rid of by criticism, by the study 
application. of models, or by any aid outside your- 
self. True, criticism and advice may 
help, but only to direct you toward the 
paths in which you may do for yourself. 

Longfellow was a poet from his youth. 
The poetic instinct was early and 
strongly developed in him, yet in his 
mature years he would have been glad 
to consign to oblivion much that his 
pen had given to the "world before he 
had schooled himself by assiduous ap- 
plication, and so perfected his art. Guy 
de Maupassant, who became the master 
of the fueilleton, giving within a few 

248 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



249 



years more than three hundred admir- 
able short stories to the Parisian press, 
studied for seven years under an inexor- 
able master, who destro\^ed daily that 
Some examples which had been written. At last, the 
of pupil having perfected his method by 

application. unceasing practice, the master per- 
mitted him to print. Well would it be 
for many of us if our creations were thus 
destroyed by somekeen^ed critic, more 
alive to their defects than we can ever 
be to our own, yet seeing the promise 
of better things if we have but the cour- 
age and patience to work toward their 
accomplishment. 

Practice perfects. We do not question 
this in any physical matter. No one 
pretends to perfection in any handicraft 
Practice until a long apprenticeship has -been 
perfects. served. The painter goes to school and 
learns, by patiently following the work 
of a master, all the details of his art, be- 
ginning with the mixing of his pigments. 
But the writer! — 

But the writer, you say, cannot al- 
ways have a master. True. Then let 
each be his own preceptor. Write, and 
destroy, and write again. Do not write 
the same thing, but take new ideas, 
new scenes, new characters, and clothe 
them with new literary form. Thus you 
will acquire facility, and diversity. 



250 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

A young story writer often fears that 
a time will come when his stories will 
all have been told. Sometimes he looks 
ahead and is perplexed that no more 
images arise upon the palimpsest of his 
brain, to be set forth upon the written 
page. This is most often so during a 
period when creative work has been 
suspended. I think all writers of fiction 
' will agree with me that the longer these 
creative faculties have been in disuse, 
the stronger is this haunting fear. The 
One thought writer questions if he will ever again be 
doth tread upon able to conjure up those fancies that 
another's once came so readily. I have seen facile 
writers of stories almost in despair at 
this thought. But when they were once 
more really at work, fancies would arise 
more thick and fast than ever. Perhaps 
there was difficult}^ in getting the foun- 
tain started again. Thought was slug- 
gish, and the first story proved formless 
and unsatisfactory. But the next was 
better, and more easily done, and the 
next, and the next, and the next, until 
they fairly tumbled over one another so 
rapidly and eagerly did they press for 
utterance. The writing of a story may 
start a train of thought that will bring 
forth a dozen, as fast as they can be put 
upon paper. The more stories one 
writes, the more are conjured forward 



heel. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 251 

from the recesses of the brain where 
they have been hidden. 

Thus, work develops the imagination. 
The writer who has his harness on 
steadily is never at a loss for "something 
to write about;" this plaint is the sign- 
manual of the writer who has not yet 
learned the first lesson in his literary 
Searching primer. II you must search and cudgel 
for something your brain for "something to write 
to write about" you may feel pretty certain that 

when the thing is done it will prove to 
have been not worth the doing. Real, 
earnest writers, who are thoroughly 
in the work, find their difficulty to be 
quite another sort; they have all the 
time so many topics pressing them that 
it troubles them to pick and choose 
which shall have first attention. 

Now, when the thought-waves have 
been started by actual application to 
the task in hand, let them come as the 
water flows from a fountain that is 
overfull. Do not be afraid of writing 
too much; — you need only fear offering 
too much for publication. Write all 
that you can; then scrutinize closely, 
destroy the bad, and put aside that 
KeeD right on which you think good, until it may ripen, 
writing. -Let "there be no cessation in your 

work. It will be more difficult to get 
started again, than to keep right on. 



252 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

Do not be afraid of an accumulation of 
manuscripts. A writer is hardly se- 
riously in the field unless he has a half 
hundred manuscripts of various sorts, 
ready for and seeking a market. 

The athlete makes himself still more 
strong by constant exercise. The pugi- 
list trains and hardens himself for the 
conflict. The builder and the machinist 
toil to perfect themselves in the details 
of their work. The painter and the 
A lesson from sculptor grow continually by the accom- 
the athletes. plishment of each successive task. 
Among all men, it seems that only the 
writer hopes to evolve out of his poor 
little egg-shell of a brain, at once, with- 
out practice, application, or training, 
something that the world shall think of 
value. 

The earliest productions of a writer 
usually deserve the flames, — nothing 
more. Because editors return them as 
unavailable, only shows that editors 
have a modicum of worldly wisdom. And 
a writer who is discouraged by such re- 
fusal, and who is not willing to take it 
as a hint that he has yet somewhat to 
learn of an art in which the greatest of 
the world have striven, deserves only 
failure. 

The art of literature is vast, all-reach- 
ing. Have yon a message for men, now 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 253 

That and for all time to come? Then is it not 

which you do — worth your while to learn to say it so 
do well. that } t ou may compel them to hear? 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

THE PROFESSION OF AUTHORSHIP. 

The press has recently had much to 
say about writers, and particularly a- 
bout writers for the publications em- 
braced in the classification, ' 'periodical 
literature," viz: — the monthlies and lit- 
erary weeklies, and to which should 
now be added the Sunday editions of 
the great dailies. 

The various articles published have 
mainly pui ported to give advice and in- 
formation to beginners in the art of 
authorship, and to literary aspirants in 
general: and while some items have been 
Comment of the given showing the financial compensa- 
press. tion of certain writers, or the pa}anent 

received for certain work, little has been 
told upon which the average income 
might be predicated, or the average re- 
turn for accepted work be arrived at. 
Perhaps it is true that no average basis 
can be arrived at for these matters; yet 
information is available that ma}^ help 
to convey a more or less exact idea of 
the probabilities and possibilities — 
a more exact idea certainly than offered 

254 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 255 

by any of the above articles that have 
come under my observation. 

In this country now are some thous- 
ands of persons who are gaining — or 
trying to gain — a livelihood by writing. 
Among them are a few men and women 
of brilliant genius, and there are a few 
dolts. The success of the former is as- 
sured, and we will not concern about 
the exact amount of their incomes; they 
are at least enabled to keep the wolf 
from the door. The failure of the latter 
is equally sure, and consequently the 
public can have little interest in their 
ephemeral appearance in the liter arj- 
The earnings of arena. 

writers. After dismissing these extremes there 

3^et remain a large number of honest, 
industrious workers, who have consider- 
able intellect, if no great degree of gen- 
ius. Upon these — the rank and file of 
the pen-wielders — the editors of our 
magazines and other periodicals depend 
mainly for the great bulk of the mater- 
ial that fills their columns. A few great 
names may be advertised in the pros- 
pectus, but an examination of the index 
will show that comparatively obscure 
writers have furnished the major por- 
tion of the contents. "Comparatively 
obscure" means that while their names 
may be somewhat known in the purely 



256 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

literary world, and familiar in editorial 
rooms, they are as yet almost wholly 
unrecognized by the great mass of the 
reading public. Names that are wholly 
new to the cursory reader appear con- 
tinually; and that brings me to the first 
question asked b} r the literary aspirant 
—"How shall I get in?" 

A newspaper paragraph, said to have 
been inspired by a reader for a promi- 
nent magazine, has been going the 
rounds, stating that onty a small por- 
For the tion °f "the manuscripts received by the 

consideration leading periodicals are even examined, 
of unless coming from some one who is 

the beginner, already a contributor or whose name is 
well known. It is strange that such a 
statement should meet with any cre- 
dence. A magazine following such 
methods would be largely cut off from 
new thought and new ideas. 

A very practical refutation of this is 
found in the fact that new names are 
constantly appearing, and that the old 
ones do not appear with such frequency 
as to preponderate among the whole. If 
the miscellaneous offerings were not ex- 
amined these new writers would not be 
discovered, nor their contributions be- 
come available for making up that in- 
finite variety which the best periodicals 
aim to place before their readers with 
each recurring number. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 257 

In looking over my accounts I find 
that within three years from the time 
of offering my first manuscript, I re- 
ceived pay from nearly thirty publica- 
tions, the list embracing many of ac- 
knowledged standing and a few of the 
very highest class. Had there been any 
prejudice against the beginner in litera- 
ture this of course would not have been 
possible. It shows rather that even the 
most unpromising offerings are eagerly 
scanned in the hope of finding something 
new and printable. And it may interest 
some to know that I never had a man- 
uscript returned without having reason 
to believe that it had been read at least 
far enough to convince the editor that 
it would not meet his needs. I do not 
mean by this that I have ever laid puer- 
ile traps by which I might catch an edi- 
tor in the dereliction of his duty. 

I believe that letters of introduction 
are very rarely of any use, although I 
have never tried them for myself. But 
Depend it was my fortune recenth^ to make the 

on your own acquaintance of a young man of fine ed- 
ucation and wide experience of the 
world, a Harvard graduate and son of 
a foreign minister of note, who had been 
for two years knocking in vain at the 
doors of almost every editorial sanctum 
in the country. He had been backed (or 



merits. 



258 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

handicapped) by an appalling array, of 
letters of introduction from .leading 
statesmen and litterateurs, but had not 
succeeded in getting a single line pub- 
lished. This young man also confided 
to me that he was certain his manu- 
scripts were often returned unread; for 
he had at times inadvertently (?) al- 
lowed certain pages to become fastened 
The only together by stray drops of mucilage, 

way to gain and other pages to become disarranged 
favor. from their proper numerical order. I 

suggested that perhaps this was one 
reason why his work was returned, and 
advised him to be done with such devices, 
to throw away his letters, and begin 
anew solely upon his merits. The only 
way to "get in" is to offer material that 
editors want. If you have the goods 
and send them to the right shops, you 
will eventually succeed in selling them. 

But after getting in — Does it Pay? 

I know it is rather the fashion to 
sneer at one who avowedly writes for 
money, at one who makes the financial 
aspect of his work the first consideration. 
But in this, as in other emplo\ntnents, 
men will usually put forth their best ef- 
forts for the purpose of securing some 
tangible reward, and so in hoc signo ($) 
vznces. 

In discussing the question of remuner- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 259 

ation I shall confine mj^self to the great 
body of writers who are not famous: 
those who write for periodicals, and 
send their Mss. wherever the chances 
seem best for finding a market. Not 
only is the matter of acceptance left to 
the discretion of the editor, but he is 
also the arbiter of the value of their 
■work. And right here is where a large 
amount of misinformation obtains, and 
upon this misinformation is based the 
wildest estimate regarding a writer's 
income. One's friends learn that he has 
received a hundred or even two hundred 
A wide range of dollars for a certain article or story, 
payment. One or two weeks of stead\^ application 

were required for its production, and 
from this is figured an income of $100 
per week, or a possible Hyc thousand in 
a year. They do not know that the 
number of periodicals that pa} r one hun- 
dred dollars for a single article is ex- 
tremely limited, and a new writer may 
be considered fortunate to sell even one 
of his productions at this price. Those 
not upon the inside, either as sender or 
recipient, would be surprised to see how 
great a part small checks play in mak- 
ing tip the income of the average writer. 
Those ranging from five dollars to 
twenty dollars are much more frequent 
and vastly easier to obtain than those 
of larger denominations. 



260 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



A modest 

beginning is 

best. 



A wide 
difference. 



It may be considered rather a misfor- 
tune than otherwise for a writer to re- 
ceive large compensation for his work 
at the outset of his career. In my own 
case it was distinctly a detriment. The 
first two manuscripts disposed of 
brought me one hundred dollars each. 
And it was some little time thereafter 
before I was thoroughly convinced that 
it was compatible with my literary dig- 
nity to accept much smaller sums for 
work that I believed equally good. 

The variation in the rates of payment 
by different periodicals, for the same 
class of work, is confusing to a new 
writer. The manuscript which, if ac- 
cepted, would bring an hundred dollars 
from one periodical may finally be dis- 
posed of for one-tenth that sum: and 
some publications of good standing and 
large circulation do not disdain to send 
even as little as five dollars for an arti- 
cle or story of good length — say 3,000 
to 5,000 words — and of quality, to say 
the least, which is acceptable to them. 

It may be disheartening to an ambi- 
tious writer to sell for so paltry a sum 
the brilliant figment of his brain, for 
which so much better payment was 
confidently expected when it was first 
sent abroad: but this is better than not 
to sell it at all. 



PRACTICAL ALTHORSHIP 261 

But at such prices, does literature 
pay? Let us see. 

Almost the best practical advice for 
writers that I have ever seen, is con- 
Practical tained in Mr. Eugene Field's answer to 

advice. one who asked what were the best aids 

to literar\^ success. "A good stub pen, 
and eight hours of steady work every 
day," said the serious humorist. This 
rule means simply steady application. 
One cannot well write eight hours per 
day without turning off something of 
value. If he cannot accomplish some- 
thing, the drudgery of it will soon prove 
so exasperating that the self-imposed 
task will be abandoned. If something 
salable is evolved each day, though it 
be small in itself, and a market is per- 
sistently sought, and found, the final 
outcome will be fairly remunerative. 
One reason why many who attempt it 
fail to make the business of authorship 
profitable, is that they neglect to make 

Despise and to market these little things. The 

not the small rondeau may seem almost too small to 

things. offer an editor, but it may be just what 

he needs to lighten a page, and he ac- 
cepts it and sends you a check for a 
couple of dollars, and bears you grate- 
ful^ in mind when you come again. 
The little adventure, the anecdote, or 
the singular coincidence that has come 



262 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

under your own observation may be 
written out in a little time, and may 
bring a cheek for four or five dollars 
without interfering seriously with the 
more important tasks in hand. These 
matters, thrown in as an addition to 
the "regular grind" will help materially 
to supplement the income. 

Now about the "regular grind." A 
writer who is at all prolific, who can 
keep his stub pen going eight hours per 
day, or even less, should be able to turn 
off four or five thousand words of copy. 
To keep this up he must be versatile, or 
at such a pace he will soon be out of ma- 
terial. But if he can write short stories, 
The amount articles on current events, travel and 
of a writer's descriptive sketches, etc., he should be 
output. able to maintain this rate of production. 

Yet, supposing .him inclined to give 
more attention to quality than toquan- 
ity,then this amount may be condensed, 
refined, polished and rewritten, and re- 
sult in two thousand or twenty-five 
hundred words of good material. Now 
that the "machine" has so largely taken 
the place of the stub pen,this amount of 
production should be possible for any 
writer. Taking even the lowest rates of 
payment, such a day's output cannot 
bring less than Hyq dollars, if it brings 
anything at all, and one would have to 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 263 

-cater to a very poor class of publica- 
tions indeed, if it brought no more than 
this. 

Consequently, even at the lowest 
rates, if one can sell his entire product, 
a fair income is assured to a steady wri- 
ter. And probably most of those who 
follow the profession of literature, de- 
vote enough time and attention to the 
Figuring up the business end of the work to ensure a 
total market finally for all or nearly all that 

they produce. One trouble is, that wri- 
ters are not often steady workers. 
Either the elation of success or the de- 
spondency of failure will serve them as 
excuse for leaving their desks for a pro- 
tracted period, until some new inspira- 
tion moves them toresumetheir labors. 

Young writers are often cautioned 
against writing too much. If a man 
has his bread to earn he will probably 
turn off all the work of which he is cap- 
able and for which he thinks he can find 
a market, although much of it may be 
very poor, and such as he will wish to 
disclaim in after years. Notwithstand- 
ing this, a writer cannot w^rite too 
much. The writing habit grows with 
that it feeds on: the more one writes, 
the more he can write . 

There are other rewards for the liter- 
ary worker, besides the purely financial 



264 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Dollars 

not the only 

rewards. 



one. Notwithstanding Mr. Field's 
eight hours per day, few writers habit- 
ually give more than five or six hours 
of the twenty-four to their desks. This 
permits more leisure, greater opportun- 
ity for rest, study, reading, recreation 
and social duties than the majority of 
business or professional men can afford. 
Their work often being performed at 
home permits more intimate associa- 
tion with their own family circle. Not 
being tied to an office or business that 
demands constant attendance in one 
place, they are free to travel as fancy 
dictates, and the purse permits, and this 
travel enlarges their scope in their 
chosen profession. 

If you are ready to work hard, and 
wait patiently, there is nothing to dis- 
courage you from entering upon the 
pursuit of literature. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE WRITER OF TRAVEL. 

Over the hills and far away! 

"I want a change of scene and out- 
look for a few months, and would like a 
position as traveling correspondent and 
contributor. Would be content, as a 
beginning, with traveling and living ex- 
penses, and a small salar\^. Can 3^ou 
put me in the way of gaining a position 
of this kind?" 

The above is an extract from a letter 

recently at hand from a writer who has 

done much work in stories, and other 

departments of literary endeavor, but 

What now wishes to broaden her field. We 

one writer quote it, because it is a sample of the 

wanted. requests that come to us almost daily, 

and we have thought that a few words 

upon this subject might be appreciated 

by many of our readeis. 

All the world loves to travel, and the 
majority of people who become able to 
gratify their pet ambitions do journey 
hither and thither over the earth. At a 
certain stage in their career most writ- 
ers become possessed strongly with the 
desire to travel; they wish to write 

265 



266 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

travel, and they believe, and rightly, 
that such broader knowledge as they 
may obtain by seeing how the other 
half of the world lives, will help them in 
many ways in their work. This is true. 
One who can travel, and who studies 
attentively and appropriates to himself 
Travel "the numberless things that present 

a universal themselves to his observation, will 
desire. gather a fund of information, and will 

find his field broadened most wonder- 
fully. It would not be difficult to name 
a dozen writers who at the best were 
winning but small renown in limited 
fields, but who, having opportunities 
for travel, made their names known 
and their work appreciated by a wide 
circle. 

So w r e acknowledge that the desire of 
our correspondent is a wise and legiti- 
mate one — but how shall it be gratified? 
Few writers have the means to travel 
broadly. It is expensive, and the risk 
is too great to be assumed individually, 
or at least they imagine so, and conse- 
quently look for some publication to 
back them with expenses "and a small 
salary." 

But it is quite as easy for a camel to 
pass through the eye of a needle as to 
secure this desideratum. Very nearly all 
publications like good travel work, — 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 267 

but not well enough to employ- a writer 
regarding whose powers in this parti- 
How cular line they know nothing. After one 
travel writer has done this work, and shown his 
may begin. adaptability- for it, very good arrange- 
ments ma^^ easily be secured. But the 
thing that hundreds wish to know is, 
how can the start be made? 

It is not realry difficult to find the 
chance to show what you can do. Are 
you contributing with any frequency to 
anY journal? No matter how small or 
insignificant it is, only so that it pay-s 
for what it uses. If you have such a 
connection, the editor will be glad to 
give you what aid he can, in your en- 
deavor to broaden out. Do not take 
your map now and look for the farth- 
est point upon the surface of the earth, 
and ask him to send you there — for he 
would not do it. But select the point 
nearest home, where there is anything 
worth writing about in a descriptive 
way r . It will not cost you much to get 
there, and y r ou must expect to go upon 
your own expense. Now having select- 
ed your point, and knowing what you 
will find there to write about, ask your 
friend the editor if he will use such an 
article, if you will go there and prepare 
it. The chances are that he will. Now 
make the most of this little entering 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



Good 

travel work in 

demand. 



All classes 

of publications 

open. 



wedge. Do the very best work that 
you are capable of, even if you know 
you will not more than pay expenses. 

If it is acceptable, he will give you 
another chance, and next time you can 
go a little further afield, and do more 
articles, with very little added expense. 
Perhaps you can find another paper 
that will take something from the same 
trip. Once in, as a travel writer, with 
any journal, the connection is more 
easily held than almost any other. As 
I have said, very many journals desire 
such material, and good material of 
this sort is not easily secured. 

After a time, if you have developed an 
adaptability for good descriptive writ- 
ing, foreign travel will beckon you. 
Now comes the culmination of your de- 
sires. These journals for which you 
have been working will give you a 
basis, an agreement to take a certain 
number of letters, at a given price. If 
these contracts will cover your ex- 
penses, you can safely start out. The 
other material that you will secure, and 
of which you know nothing in ad- 
vance, will enable you to gain a footing 
with still other and better publications; 
and by the time you have written and 
sold all that you have gleaned, possibly 
3 7 ou will be glad you were not under 
contract with any single paper. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



269 



Travel 
an education. 



As the seasons 
change. 



The writer of this began to do travel 
work in the manner here indicated, and 
not so very many years ago; and now 
would not care greatly to accept a 
commission from any single publica- 
tion, as a half dozen are ready to take 
all the material of this sort that he will 
offer, whenever he desires to go afield, 
at prices that well repay the journey- 
ing. 

The field of travel is one of the most 
enticing to which a writer can devote 
himself. It gives such great opportuni- 
ties for increasing one's knowledge, for 
broadening his ideas, for procuring new 
material for fiction, — if that be within 
his compass. It affords change, a thing 
that writers need, in order to keep them 
physically up to the demands made up- 
on their nervous energies. And, if suc- 
cessful, there are few branches of work 
that return a better financial reward. 

The travel writer may properly take 
account of timeliness. In the winter the 
residents of the northern states journey 
south, and Florida, the Gull Coast, 
Mexico, Cuba, the Bermudas, etc., are 
localities of interest to those who re- 
main at home. In the summer the 
north Atlantic sea coast, the Great 
Lakes, the St. Lawrence, etc., are of 
equal interest, and the writer should be 



270 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

guided by these facts. The large news- 
papers in winter will devote consider- 
able space to letters from the southern 
resorts, and in summer to the same ma- 
terial from the north. These letters 
may describe the scenery and different 
phases of life, together with notes upon 
the movements of people. 

That places have been described once 
or many times is no bar to their utility 
for later comers. They may be written 
of from different view points, and the 
Old individual treatment of different writers 

materia! served mav fit the same topic exactly for the 
afresh. needs of different editors. Then too, one 

writer ma}^ be able to discover some- 
thing of interest that another writer 
has omitted; and there are so many 
places for the publication of such work 
that one need hardly be afraid to give 
his time and talents to a careful descrip- 
tion of almost an3^ place in the world, 
provided he will give equal time and 
care to finding the proper market when 
it is done. 



talented. 



CHAPTER XXVII L 

SONG WORDS, AND HYMN WRITING. 

Considering the important place oc- 
cupied to-day by the song, it seems 
strange that in this country the depart- 
ment of literarjr work upon which it 
depends should be so little cultivated. 
In England the writing of song words 
has attained a high point of perfection. 
In Germany the development is proba- 
An bly not inferior. But here in America a 

opening for the composer is fortunate if he can obtain 
words which, so far from giving impe- 
tus to his imagination, do not positively 
♦ 

trouble him to render acceptable at all. 
To seek all the reasons for this neglect 
would be beyond my present purpose. 
The field is remunerative — more so than 
for most other forms of verse, and the 
work is less exacting. It is probable, 
therefore, that no particular obstacle 
presents itself, but that our American 
literati have merely failed to turn their 
attention in this direction; and believ- 
ing this, it seems that consideration of 
song words, their qualities and the 



272 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

methods of attaining these, may be of 
use. 

The essential requirement in all song 
words is that they appeal strongly to 
the feelings. This they will do according 
as they employ the emotional qualities 
of style, or picturesqueness. Naturally 
i these qualities are very nearly akin, and 
so may readily give place to each other. 
The natural inclination, too, is for the 
picturesque to pass into the emotional: 
for, in poetry, at least, no vivid image 
is likely to be presented that does not 

The technique at once arouse some emotion: this, in 
of poetry, is the chief object of the pictur- 

song writing. esque./ Nevertheless, there are many 
songs in which the emotional predomi- 
nates, and calls upon the picturesque 
only to occasionally reinforce it. Such 
songs are to be found more frequently 
in operas and kindred works, where the 
picturesque is mechanically provided 
for. The famous numbers "Hear Me, 
Norma," "Ernani, Involami," and 
"Salve Dimora," are of this kind. In- 
deed, when in the opera, such songs may 
forsake the picturesque entirely, and be- 
come pure expressions of feeling. But 
with the isolated song this is rare; and 
it is the isolated song that chiefly con- 
cerns us. 
If we turn to existing song words, 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 



273 



An illustration 

of 

the picturesque 

and 

emotional. 



abundant illustration of the above 
points will be found. Take, first, Sir 
Arthur Sullivan's song/' Let Me Dream 
Again," the words of which are by B. 
C. Stephenson. The first stanza and re- 
frain are as follows: — 

"The sun is setting and the hour is late. 
Once more I stand before the wicket gate. 
The bells are ringing out the dying day, 
The children singing on their homeward way, 
And he is whisp'ring words of sweet intent 
While I, half doubting, whisper a consent. 
Ref. 

Is this a dream? Then waking would be pain — 
Oh ! do not wake me, let me dream again.'" 

This is an excellent illustration of the 
picturesque leading into the emotional. 
As the scene, by deft descriptive touches, 
is made more vivid and complete, it 
gives place naturally to an expression 
of strong feeling. Such a song presents 
to the composer excellent opportunities 
for a well-rounded composition, and 
the form is therefor a favorite. To it 
belong most songs with a refrain, such 
as "Maid of the Mill," "Blue Alsatian 
Mountains," and "Anchored." Many 
songs too that have no formal refrain, 
but simply lead at the close of each 
stanza or at the close of the whole to 
an emotional climax, are to be classified 
here; as, for instance, the popular song 
"Answer." 

For a song with more of the pictures- 



274 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

q tie and less of the emotional, let us 
now consider one of the best of later 
songs, "Daddy," written by Mary 
Mark Lemon, composed by A. H. 
Of the Behrend. Here is the first stanza:— 



picturesque. 



A picture in a 
song. 



"Take my head on your shoulder, Daddy, 

Turn your face to the west. 
It is just the hour when the sky turns gold, 

The hour that mother loves best. 
The day has been long without you, Daddy, 

You've been such a while away, 
And now you're as tir'd of your work, Daddy, 

As I am tired of my play." 

Then comes the refrain (which is al- 
tered in language, but not in spirit, for 
each stanza) — 

"But I've got you, and you've got me, 

So ev'ry thing seems right. 
I wonder if mother is thinking of us, 

Because it's my birthday night." 

Pure painting is this, disguised 
though it be. Each word, as it falls 
from the lips of a singer, suggests an 
image, adds a picturesque detail. The 
childish voice rambles on, — wonders at 
the father's tears, wonders whether, 
when they go to heaven, the mother 
there will know them; but we are hard- 
ly conscious of what it says. Somehow 
it all but serves to strengthen the 
picture — that picture of lonely affection, 
disappointed hopes, uncomplaining sor- 
row, at which we gaze with dimmed 
eyes. That is what we are gaining 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 275 

from the song; that, and nothing else. 
But so well do we gain it that at the 
close of the last stanza we find that 
"Daddy" and the child are not any 
longer for us the creations of a song, 
but have taken fair place with the 
realities of our lives. 

A song illustrating as well, perhaps, 
the predominance of the emotional as 
any song not from an opera will do, is 
"Take Back the Heart," by ''Claribel." 
We give an amount that makes one 
stanza in music, there being two such:— 

"Take back the heart that thou gavest, 
What is my anguish to thee ! 

Take back the freedom thou cravest, 
Leaving the fetters to me. 

Thp 

Take back the vows thou hast spoken, 

purely Fling them aside and be free. 

emotional. Smile o'er each pitiful token, 

Leaving the sorrow for me. 

Drink deep of life's fond illusion, 
Gaze on the storm-cloud and flee 

Swiftly thro' strife and confusion, 
Leaving the burden to me." 

Here the first stanza is purely emo- 
tional, even the figure in the fourth 
line being used in too abstract a way to 
be picturesque, while yet full of feeling. 
An analysis. In the second stanza, however, the line, 
"Smile o'er each pitiful token," is dis- 
tinctly picturesque, and is good. In the 
last stanza, "Gaze on the storm-cloud 
and flee," is, like the first figure, too ab- 



276 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

stract to call any very distinct image 
to our minds; and it is further out of 
harmony with what has preceeded, and 
in its elaboration in the succeding two 
lines has a tendency to give the whole 
stanza the somewhat ludicrous sound 
of petulant complaint. 

Before ending the quotations we will 
give one where the picturesque is em- 
ployed toward a different end from the 
above. The song instanced is "The 
Owl," written by T. E. Weatherly, 
probably the best of English writers of 
song words. The music is by Stephen 
Adams. We give the words entire: 

"There pass'd a man by an old oak tree. 

'To-whoo! 1 said the owl, 'to-whoo!' 
His hair was wild, and his gait was free. 
'He must be a lover,' said the owl in the tree. 

'To-whoo, to-whoo, to-whoo.' 
'Whither away?' said the owl as he passed. 
. . -Whither away, fair sir, so fast?' 

An example ^ g0 ; quo th he, 'a maid to woo, 

of A maiden young and fair and true.' 

the humorous. ' To woo?' said the owl, 'to woo?' 

'Is anybody true in the world? To-whoo !' 
'Ha, ha,' laughed the lover, as away he sped, 
'That's just like an owl,' he said, 
'That's very like an owl,' he said. 

There pass'd a man by an old oak tree, 
'To-whoo!' said the owl, 'to-whoo!' 

His face was as long as long could be. 

'He must be married,' said the owl in the tree. 
'To-whoo, to-whoo, to-whoo.' 

His gate was neither slow nor fast. 

He shook his fist at the owl as he pass'd, 
'Oh! oh!' said the owl, 'it's you! it's you! 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 277 

And haven't you been the maid to woo?' 

'To woo?' said the man, 'to woo? 
There's nobody fair or young or true.' 
'Ho, ho,' laughed the owl, as he went to bed, 
'That's just like a man,' he said, 
'That's very like a man,' he said." 

While this is a very clever bit of 
humor, the type will not, perhaps, com- 
pel so much attention as others, for the 
reason that it is well fitted only for 
"encore" work, or in double numbers, 
and therefore does not ever create a 
large demand. The type is nevertheless 
a wholesome antidote to sickly senti- 
mentality, and deserves to be cultivat- 
ed. 

In concluding, a few words of practi- 
cal bearing may be acceptable. The 
writer who wishes to turn his atten- 
tion to song words would better begin 
by studying a wide range of songs. 
5 ome The quotations given cover the more 

suggestions. common t3'pes. But there are many 
more, which are exemplified by "Bed- 
ouin Love Song," by Bayard Taylor, 
"Queen of the Earth," "King Davy," 
"Across the Bridge," "Calvary," and 
others. These are all of different 
character; yet in all the merit depends, 
as we have seen, upon the picturesque 
and emotional force of the language. 
No rules can create a talent for these; 
but talent might be directed by observ- 
ing the following: — 



278 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

r Outline the scene at the very begin- 
ning. 

Choose only salient points for descrip- 
tion. 

Make the movement rapid. 
Rules, Do not appeal to reason or reflection t 

but to feeling and imagination, and as 
aids to this, — 

Be objective and concrete, not sub- 
jective and abstract; 

Avoid similes except for a sparing use 
of those that are very short and simple, 
and have picturesque or emotional 
force; and 

* Be brief with metaphors, besides mak- 
ing them picturesque and emotional. 

Finally, let me observe in confirma- 
tion of the last four rules, that almost 
all of the "words for music" that the 
greater poets have given us are ludi- 
crously unfit for the purpose because of 
the exercise of the reasoning faculties 
The effort that they compel; to illustrate this we 
of a famous close by requesting the reader to exam- 
poet, ine the following "Stanzas for Music," 
by Lord Byron, referring the lines back 
to the rules mentioned (particularly the 
second stanza to the last rule) and 
imagining, if he can, the effect of the 
stauzas in the mouth of a singer: — 

"There's not a joy the world can give like that it 

takes away, 
When the glow of early thought declines in feeling's dull 

decay; 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 279 

Tis not on youth's smooth cheek the blush alone, which 
fades so fast, 

But the tender bloom of heart is gone, ere youth it- 
self is passed. 

Then the few whose spirits floats above the wreck of 

happiness 
Are driven over the shoals of guilt or ocean of excess ; 
The magnet of then course is gone, or only points in vain 
The shore to which their shiver d sails shall never 

stretch again. 

Oh ! could I feel as I have felt, or be what I have 

been, 
Or weep as I could once have wept, o'er many a 
vanish'd scene; 
As springs in deserts found seem sweet, all brackish thought they 

be, 
So 'midst the wither 'd waste of life, those tears would 

flow to me." 



Literary work in most of its various 
A departments has been freely discussed, 

neglected but ver\- little has been published about 
branch of hymn writing. 
poesy. While many inferior hymns have ap- 

peared before the public, these have 
generally received just condemnation. 
The best music writers of the day are 
constantly trying to raise the standard 
of gospel hymns b} r paying for good 
work, even though they are flooded by 
gratuitous contributions of a doubtful 
quality. 

In hymn writing, even more than in 
writing poetrj', care should be given to 
rhythm, and the science of lyrical verse. 
One cannot make a hymn by stringing 



technicalities of 
hymn-writing. 



280 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

a lot of religious phrases together, but 
must have a definite thought to ex- 
press. Having decided upon a subject, 
next find a meter. If a verse has al- 
ready formed in your mind, prove its 
correctness by singing it to some re- 
liable tune. If the subject is of a solemn 
nature, select a meter of like import; if 
glad or gay, or inspiring, select a cor- 
responding movement to be your guide 
in writing the hymn. 

Be careful that two syllables are 

m , Q L . r n °t crowded into the space designed for 

one; and see that the accented words or 

syllables are placed where they belong 

— on the accented notes of the measure. 

This method has proved a great help 
to many writers, but the hymn must be 
carefully sung and corrected before it is 
submitted, as faults of accent or sylla- 
bication will condemn it in the eyes of 
any good composer. 

The flippant, familiar way in which 
some writers have used sacred Bible 
truths, is greatly to be deplored. It 
lowers the work and has raised a just 
prejudice against gospel hymns, some 
churches completely discarding them, 
using for all their services the regular 
Church Hymnal. 

Opening a book at random, we read: 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 281 

"I'm kneeling at the mercy seat 
Where Jesus answers prayers. 

I feel the blood, it's coming now, 
I know I'm almost there.'''' 

Where? Evidently the last line is used 
only to fill up, and rhyme with the word 
"prayer." The third line is an irrever- 
ent allusion to the shedding of Christ's 
blood on Calvary, and is wholly inex- 
A bad example, cusable as the words have neither sense 
nor reason. How often we are hurled 
from the sublime to the ridiculous by 
some thoughtless phrase, or irreverent 
simile. One should criticise his own 
hymns and revise every doubtful or 
awkward sentence, cut out superfluous 
words, stick to the theme, and see that 
every line is pure and reverent. 

As to the market for hymns, there is 
constant demand for the best. 

Ira D. Sankey writes: "I have about 
a thousand hymns on hand, but there 
is room for great hymns." 

E. 0. Excell, one of our most success- 
ful composers, is always glad to exam- 
ine new hymns. While particular as to 
quality of the verse he accepts, he is 
kind and generous in his dealings with 
writers. 

W.J. Kirkpatrick is a favorite music 
writer. He is glad to examine hymns, 
and is friendly and prompt in his corre- 
spondence. 



desire. 



282 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

One of our most experienced and pro- 
lific composers, Asa Hull, writes: "My 
most pressing need is for first-class ma- 
terial. I want hymns that have inspir- 
ation and soul. Good ideas, perfect 
rhythms, strong rhymes. Sunday 
School anniversary hymns are needed. 
It seems as if the whole United States 
are sending me hymns, but good ones 
What are hard to obtain." 

the composers g. S. Lorenz uses a good deal of ma- 
terial, is prompt and considerate in his 
dealings. He writes: "The characteris- 
tics I look for in a successful hymn are 
as follows: A happy title. A good, 
strong, helpful central thought, ex- 
pressing not an individual, unusual ex- 
perience, but one common to all pious 
souls. Good literary form and style. 

Suggestive musical rhythm varied to 
suit the sentiment of the hymn. A 
writer who can not get out of the 
grooves of common meters, lacks liter- 
ary power and resourcefulness." 

T. Martin Towne, who has long been 
the musical editor of David C. Cook's 
Sunday School publications, has used 
many hymns adapted to that line of 
work, as well as gospel hymns for his 
own compositions, song words, and lib- 
rettos for his popular Cantatas. Years of 
literary work render his criticism espe- 



composers. 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 285 

daily valuable as regards either words 
or music. 

There is a wide range of prices for 
hymns. As before intimated, there are 
many writers who for the sake of seeing 
their names in print will give away 
their work. 

Some composers never pay more than 
one dollar per hymn, others two or 
Prices paid for three dollars apiece. One writes: "I 
hymns. can get all I want for ten dollars a 

dozen, but I am willing to pay two dol- 
lars each for any that just suit me." 
Another writes: "I am delighted with 

, it is a great success. I would 

gladly pay ten dollars for another song 
like that." It is like every other branch 
of literature; stand at the head and you 
will receive good remuneration. 

The following composers purchase 
hymns: 

J. Lincoln Hall, 1020 Arch Street, Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 
Asa Hull, 132 Nassau Street, New York. 
Chas. H. Gabriel, 56 Washington Street, Chi- 
cago, 111. 
List of James M. Black, Willianisport, Pa. 

Geo. D. Elderkin, Oak Park, 111. 
Alfred Bierly, 215 Wabash Ave., Chicago. 
S. V. R. Ford, 150 Fifth Ave., New York. 
J. P. Vance, 262 Wabash Ave., Chicago. 
J. E. Sweeney, Chester, Pa. 
W. K. Kirrpatrick, 2009 N. 15th St. Phila. 



284 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

J. H. Kurzenknabe, Harrisburg, Pa. 
T. C. O'Kane, Delaware, O. 
Ira D. Sankey, 148 South Oxford Street, Brook- 
List of lyn, New York. 
composers — E. O. Excell, Lakeside Building, Chicago. 
continued. T. Martin Towne, 1218 Wrightwood Ave., 
Chicago. 
E. S. Lorenz, Dayton, 0. 
Geo. F.Roche, 940 W. Madison Square, Chicago. 






CHAPTER XXIX. 
dox'ts for writers. 

Don't fail to remember: 

That editors hate cringing letters. 

That your manuscript, if accepted 
will be on its own merits, not on yours. 

That you must never get discouraged 
because your manuscripts come back. 

That an author is no judge of his own 
work. 
Pithy points. That success comes onry through per- 

severance. 

Don't send a pen written manuscript 
to any editor if you want it read prompt- 
ly and carefully. 

Don't send any manuscript without 
stamps for its return. 

Don't paste the stamps on your man- 
uscript(nor to your letter)so that they 
must be torn off. 

Don't omit to put your name and ad- 
dress at the top of the first sheet. It is 
a good plan to put it also at the bottom 
of the last one. 

Don't send an editor a dozen other 
manuscripts the minute he has accepted 



286 PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 

your first one. He may wish to take 
something from other contributors. 

Don't put stampsloosein an envelope. 
They are apt to drift into the waste 
basket. 

Don't send stamps at all, if you can 
possibly send a return envelope with 
the stamps already affixed. 

Don't fancy that editors are prej- 
udiced against you. 

Don't wrong the editor by thinking 
that the stuff in the latest number of his 
Pithy points. magazine is not half so good as yours 
which he returned. 

Don't send an editor a long list of the 
work that you have published and ex- 
pect him to be influenced by it to accept 
the manuscript submitted. 

Don' tell him that he can have your 
work for nothing. He will reason that 
the laborer is worthy of his hire. 

Don't write long letters to editors. 

Don't fasten the sheets of your manu- 
script to one another with clamp, 
thread or ribbon. Page the sheets plain- 
ly at the top, and leave them so loose 
that an editor may shuffle them like a 
pack of cards. 

Don't re- write a rejected manuscript 
and return it to the editor asking con- 
sideration again. 

Don't send a lot of newspaper clip- 



PRACTICAL AUTHORSHIP 287 

pings about yourself and your work, 
and expect to have them returned. Edi- 
tors are deluged with that sort of thing; 
and it is troublesome to keep track of 
Pithy points. the clippings; and if they are not re- 
turned, the editor is probably bothered 
by a request for them weeks after they 
have passed beyond his possible know- 
ledge. 



THE end. 



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